title
stringlengths 20
312
| body
stringlengths 100
40k
| score
int64 3
14.8k
| answers
list |
|---|---|---|---|
The best comment I have ever read. | The following was written by quag7
For me, the biggest problem with libertarian thinking isn't what its critics say: that is promotes some kind of immorality in its defense of self-interest in the context of capitalist economics.
Where I got off the bus is when I realized how terribly unsustainable libertarianism is, the naivete about how money corrupts, money being to power what matter is to energy. And lastly, the lack of consideration given to how unequal the playing field is, how much class does matter, and how libertarians seek to make a "clean break" from interventionist corporatism to capitalism without addressing the massive chain of abuse which has resulted into the polarization of the wealthy and the poor.
Unsustainability - most libertarians support the free market on the basis of rights and morality, not out of pure utilitarianism, but most tend to believe that a free market in a libertarian context would also provide the greatest opportunities to the greatest amount of people. I think this, too, is a matter of faith. So long as you allow the top few percent to own the vast majority of wealth, you will always have an underclass voting itself, amending the constitution, rioting, or revolting to get some of the upper or ruling class's money. This is why Marxism refuses to go away in the Third World. Conservatives and classical liberals like to insinuate it has something to do with bankrupt political and economic ideals in an academic context ("Ivory tower Marxists") but in reality the reason why socialism and communism continue to find purchase in the third world is because of crippling poverty, including things like landlessness, where you can inhabit a piece of land for generations, but someone just deeds it out from under you (a Zapatista complaint).
Labor movements, social welfare programs, guranteed minimum incomes -- all of these proceed from human need, and I see no indication that the somewhat benign term "self interest" applies here, as much as "crass greed" does. Libertarians practically celebrate the concepts of wage slavery, sweatshops, and so forth, because - they say - that the people working in them would be "worse off yet" without them. Good luck, 5 years down the line, making that case while the peasants get restless. How anyone feels about the morality of who gets how much pie and who has to share, the reality is that humankind will only put up with so much before organizing, revolting, striking, or otherwise influencing the system such that it is more equitable for the poor - and more offensive to libertarians. No document will constrain that.
Money corrupts -- this is why lobbyists have their way with the American system. The idea that somehow very rich people wouldn't instantly corrupt a minarchist state in their favor is laughably naive. The US Constitution was supposed to prevent the growth of the state, among other things, and it has failed miserably in this regard because people (politicians, administrators, supreme court) have failed. Libertarians continue to believe that by simply abolishing large swaths of government (which I'm in favor of), that that will destroy the mechanisms by which the very rich basically own the US government. I say, whatever is left, will be corrupted, and grow yet again. Because every man has his price, and every politician, administrator, law enforcement official, and so on, can be bribed -- as they are now. The idea of a government purely of laws and not of men is a superstitious religious belief -- oh how I wish it were possible. I used to believe it was; I no longer believe this to be the case. Every week we see rich people getting off with a slap on the wrists - if that - having committed massive fraud (google Union Carbide Bhopal), while middle, working class, and the outright poor wind up in jail serving ludicrous sentences for petty crime. All institutions can be gamed with the right amount of cash. Libertarians will quote the old adage that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It is interesting the degree to which they will turn a blind eye to centers of wealth, which are just condensed centers of power.
Anarcho-capitalists refuse to see this too - money will create a state which serves the person funding it, because every man has his price.
As it is now, he who can spend the most amount of money on lawyers and legal fights in civil court has the upper hand. I see this as only increasing in the kind of minarchist regime libertarians propose. The farmer caught with stray Monsanto seed having blown on to and grown in the corner of his field will have no choice but to capitulate repeatedly to Monsanto, as he does now. You can outlaw all sorts of lawsuits, but that won't prevent people bringing them, twisting their arguments to fit them into pre-existing, legal avenues of relief.
Lastly, libertarians offer zero redress for past wrongs. "A free market....starting now!" while rich families who started on third base from the time they were born are on "equal footing" with those who never even got a turn at bat. There is nothing libertarianism has to offer the very poor, except the questionable explanation that the reason their cities are blighted is because of "government intervention" or "high taxes, preventing business investment" which explains a little bit of the problem, but not most of it. (Why would anyone do business in Manhattan or San Francisco if it was really all about regulation and taxes?)
The libertarians get it half right in their suspicion of and rejection of the state, but with me, personally, they fail completely at addressing the corrupting power of money. Their belief in the free market's sustainability (whereby depressions are just "market corrections" proving capitalism works) doesn't really address the generations of resentment, hatred, and alienation such events cause. This negative feeling is what sabotages the minarchist state. As much as the non-initiation of force principle is enough for libertarians to live on, it's not enough for a hard-working father who has to face his children on Christmas with nothing under the tree because the auto plant he worked for dutifully for 20 years just shut down.
In fairness to libertarians, libertarians themselves are not the weak link. In their passion to prove that minarchism or even statelessness (as many libertarians are really anarchists) works, they will open their wallets, and they will donate to charities. Libertarians, by and large, are not the dishonest corruptors of the system they advocate: it's the people in power who view libertarians as useless idiots who help them continue to perpetuate graft and fraud as a "way of doing business." that are the problem. Those who would benefit most from what libertarians propose aren't even libertarians: it's the very wealthy who will use libertarian concepts to prevent taxation and regulation (resulting in unsafe mines, factories, and so forth, among other things), and who will use the money they make to use government in their favor should that be a better alternative.
I credit libertarians with, especially recently, front-burnering issues of corporate welfare and so on.
But in the end, greed is what drives business - not a celebration of the non-initiation of force principle, nor not even building railroads or making Rearden metal. What drives business is money, and businesses are whores, and they will do anything ranging from cold (firing loyal workers in depressed areas) to fraud (taking bailout money) in pursuit of this goal.
I used to believe, or wanted to believe, that businessmen were moral. I used to accept the lines the way Rand drew them - honest businessmen making these important things whose benefits trickled down to everyone else vs. second handers and leechers.
This was a stacked deck. It wasn't some intellectual realization based on something I read, but something I've come to understand having worked 12 years now in a corporation, and before that for smaller businesses. I've never worked for anyone I've actually liked or whose character I've respected. I've never worked for anyone who wouldn't at least flirt with dishonesty for a quick buck.
Money is what matters. Money is power. It will always be that way, and there will be no justice or freedom until some way is found to blunt its influence on the world.
(continued...)
| 3 | [
{
"body": "Well thought out post. I myself have fallen into a more pragmatic political ideology. We will constantly struggle with balancing the community and the individual. There is no magic bullet ideology as long as we are required to use humans as our building blocks.\n\nWhat we can do is put forth our values as a society and try to overcome each new challenge while keeping those values in mind.\n\nI still consider myself a Libertarian because I believe the individual is the paramount political entity, that doesn't mean the individual always wins, just that it should always weigh heavily into any political consideration. Outside of that I value life, liberty, progress and stability.\n\nAs long as I keep those values in mind I feel I can effectively judge policy as it is being formed. This isn't necessarily a rejection of Libertarians, Progressives, or even Conservatives. It is simply a rejection of dogma and the acknowledgment that the world is and always will be complicated and dynamic.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I have 8,000 bucks. How do I invest it properly? | like the title says...i have 8,000 dollars. What should i do with it investment wise to become rich? | 7 | [
{
"body": "Don't go to a bank. Do not go to a bank. They will fuck you moneywise.\n\nGo to the library and study bonds and mutual funds for a couple of months, then invest it wisely.",
"score": 3
}
] |
If there's one thing I've learned from this whole airport body scanner ordeal, it's that we have the technology to see people naked in real time with some sort of camera. That is awesome. | Give it a few decades, and we will have handheld see-em-naked-o-scopes.
Eventually this could lead to our species giving up on non-necessity clothing and coexisting more naturally, as Flying Spaghetti Monster intended. | 129 | [
{
"body": "Haha, being forced to walk through body scanners and letting people look at our naked wives, girlfriends, children and loved ones is all one big joke. \n\nSeriously, we need to oppose these scanners en masse. If you want to live in a free society, then you will oppose them.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "A lot of the old IR equipped video cameras could see through your clothes too. There was a fuss and they made them hobble it.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Are there any atheists out there who are opposed to same-sex marriage? | So I recently came across an atheist who was against same-sex marriage and I was wondering if there were any atheists who were willing to explain why they are against marriages between gay and lesbian couples. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Edit: I am not talking about those of you who would rather have marriage as a religious ceremony and have civil unions for everyone as the government recognized contract or for those of you who don't feel that any sort of marriage should be legally recognized by the government. | 11 | [
{
"body": "Most of the people that I've seen advancing a non-religious anti-gay-union position have pretty amateur arguments:\n\n 1. Reproducibility argument: \"They can't reproduce, so why should we allow them to form a family?\" This is so unbelievably stupid that I will leave its refutations as exercises to the reader.\n\n 2. Evolutionary argument: \"Can you imagine, if everyone was gay and got married, IT WOULD BE THE END OF THE HUMAN RACE!!!!!1one\" This is so unbelievably stupid that I will leave its refutation as exercises for less capable readers that had to skip the first exercise.\n\n 3. \"Nature\" argument: Closely related to the Evolutionary Argument, but with more hand waving and fewer legs to stand on, if arguments could have a negative number of legs. Usually goes something like, \"Nature made differentiated sexes, so same-sex couples are unnatural.\" This argument would be even dumber than the previous, if this were an actual argument. To be fair, I've only seen this once, and it was on an internet forum, so it could have been advanced by a particularly retarded and in-bred Chihuahua.\n",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "Marriage can remain between a man and a women for all I care.\n\nWhat I DO care about is states, companies, and societies not having equality for same-sex couples. They (the homophobic fearmongerers) can keep the term 'marriage' between a man and a women if they want, ONLY as long as there is an equal oppurtunity for LGBT couples to take advantage of the same tax and insurance benefits.\n\nI think a lot of people have lost sight over why it is so desirable for same-sex couples to get married. I think to most of them, they couldn't care less about getting married in the same social and religious institutions that have persecuted them until very recently. What is most important is equality. \n\nAll couples, regardless of sex, should be able to file taxes jointly, or have joint insurance plans and enjoy similar benefits. Call it same-sex union or domestic partnership if you want. As an egalitarian all I care about is that the system treats all people with equality and fairness.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "as a non-religious person, i happen to think that marriage is ridiculous. who gives a shit who takes part in it. ",
"score": 4
}
] |
By Request : IAmA Parkour Instructor. AMA | Have been studying PK for 6-7 years, teaching on and off for 2 years. Based in Australia. I have a background in Gymnastics, Martial Arts, Rock Climbing and various other stuff. I've never been to France to study or met with David Belle and I don't consider myself an official spokesperson in any way. What I know I've learnt through hard training and experience, internet based research and a lot of communication and discussion with other traceurs (people who study Parkour). I am a member of an Australia wide not-for-profit association that runs classes and workshops in all the major cities. My opinions are not necessarily those of the association. Cheers :)
Edit: resource links
http://www.wmaker.net/parkour/
http://parkourpedia.com/
Alrighty, I'm outta here. If you can't find what you want down below or in the links then go ahead and pm me but don't expect an answer for a few days while I'm away, cheers. | 70 | [
{
"body": "What's the best series of work outs you can suggest? If you could provide links that's just as good as personal suggestions. Thanks!",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Best way to do a backflip off a wall? I want to be able to do it, but I don't want to fall on my head. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "What, to you, is the most essential skill in parkour? Traits of successful parkour athletes?\n\nIf you had to teach someone who knows nothing about parkour to be a passable parkourer(?) where do you start?",
"score": 3
}
] |
When did the history channel become the apocalypse and bible channel? | It seems like every time I see flip by it, they're showing something about the "science" of the bible or the crackpot theories about 2012 | 129 | [
{
"body": "Remember the History Channel is probably ratings driven to some extent. The implication being that many people like watching shows about crackpot theories about 2012 and the Bible. And then remember this is the country where Sarah Palin's book is a bestseller. ",
"score": 29
},
{
"body": "Shortly after THE LEARNING CHANNEL (TLC) became the stupid reality tv about John and Kate/midgits/weight loss/make over channel.\n\nIt's sad, they use to have some amazing shows on there...",
"score": 28
},
{
"body": "Terrible to say, but it's because the Greatest Generation is dying out. No one wants the World War Two documentaries anymore.",
"score": 19
},
{
"body": "Wow, maybe I'll start watching again. Last I saw, it was the All Nazis, All the Time Channel. At least apocalypse stuff is kind of interesting.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "I've been wondering about that myself.\r\n\r\nI've also been wondering why they have _Ice Road Truckers_ on the HISTORY channel as opposed to, oh I don't know, the *DISCOVERY* channel????????",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "They cater to the declining tastes of the masses. They're not there to educate you. They're there to make money.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "I used to like Modern Marvels. I haven't seen it for a long time, but the last episode I saw was Modern Marvels: Dirt. It was cool but generally dirt isn't considered as a typical modern marvel. The show was rather interesting.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Ah, it's *this* time of the ye... mo.. we.. day again? Yes, the history channel is not about history anymore and why are they showing all that bullshit but haha MTV also doesn't really show music and fox news doesn't give you the latest on foxes blah blah blah narwhals bacon.\n\nOh wait, the bible and 2012? That's new. I thought it was all about Hitler and aliens! Times have changed!",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "It goes through phases. when I was in High school it was the WW2/Hitler channel. Then it was the UFO's channel (which I found particularly irritating). At least now there sort of back to history (well the bible stuff anyway- depending on how they're covering it). ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Actually, this week is \"Armageddon Week\" on History, so that's why there's so much of that this week.\r\n\r\nIt's like \"Shark Week\" for prophets.\r\n\r\n",
"score": 3
}
] |
What things do girls do that you're meant to be aware of? | Was watching tv with my gf. Ended up having sex. But afterwards she said "It took you forever to kiss me earlier". Bear in mind she was sitting with her arms crossed next to me chatting shit about her day at work. Turns out her sign for kissing, then sex was that she was "leaning my head into you". FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU!
The reason I ended up kissing her was for a totally different reason. I didn't notice her 'sign' at all. Next time she leans her head at me I'm totally going to pin her down and ravish her. | 19 | [
{
"body": "Tell her to get new signs.\n\n* Leaning head into you = too subtle\n* Unzipping your pants and going after your junk like a mongoose going after a cobra = juuuuuuuuuuust right.",
"score": 25
},
{
"body": ">Turns out her sign for kissing, then sex was that she was \"leaning my head into you\".\r\n\r\nMy sign for kissing is leaning my face really close to his and then looking back and forth from his eyes to his lips. If he backs off or something, then I'll know he's not into it.\r\n\r\nAlso, guys, if a girl is pushing herself against you, or her butt into your crotch, or something analogous, and there's more than enough room for her to not touch you if she doesn't want to, DON'T move away (unless you're not interested). She's not trying to push you away with her butt or whatever, she's trying to get more physical contact with you.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "\"Girlfriend unit requests mouth-to-mouth interfacing for a period of no less than two minutes.\"\n\n\"Boyfriend unit acknowledges MTM interface request. Calculating... calculating...\"\n\n*ding*\n\n\"Request granted. Initiate protocol code name: 'first base.' Approach angle set at 22 degrees, approach vector locked in.\"\n\n...",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "You have an excuse to pounce on her with some regularity now. \"You were leaning your head in\" \"you were touching my arm\" \"you were breathing.\" Why is this a problem? Worst case is she says no, but if she's your gf and she's so into you she's upset that you're not attacking her, wtf do you have to lose?",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "If her arms were crossed that usually means ['I am closed'.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9YTxff3pHU)",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "You guys should invent your own signs so that you both know what they mean.\n\nFinger tapping her lips means kiss me, finger through circle made by other hand means lets have sex, etc.\n\nWouldn't that just be so much easier? Well that, or you know, use words..",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "I'm a girl and I do this. I only see my boyfriend on weekends, so usually friday through sunday afternoon we try to get in as much sex as possible. We wake up on sunday and all day I'm waiting for him to start up sex. The reason I don't initiate is because the few times I had, it seemed like he wasn't all that into it, so I just let him initiate. Anyways, it's sunday afternoon, he is leaving me in like...an hour! and still no sex. I am rolling around, naked (took my clothes off just for this purpose), touching him, in his bed...and he does nothing, besides cuddle with me a bit. So I get up and say \"ok, guess you don't want to have sex today.\" From the confused look on his face, I quickly realized he had no idea that me rolling my naked body around in front of him was a sign that I wanted to have sex. Clearly, I need to be more forward. Will hop on top and kiss him next time.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Why can't women realize that MEN AREN'T AS IN TUNE WITH THAT SORT OF THING AS WOMEN ARE. Whew, sorry. Women, if you were men, you'd understand how unrealistic those expectations are.",
"score": 5
}
] |
What's people's opinion on BOA vs Lace up boots? | BOA looks super easy and convenient, but I hear they can create pressure points. What are your fav boots? | 4 | [
{
"body": "I've had my BOA's for about 6 years now..\nNever had any problems, with the mechanism, and have only needed to change one of the wire laces once. \n\nI like them because it's easy to adjust them on the lifts between runs, no need to take off gloves etc.. \n\nOne tip: to tighten, don;t grab the ratchet with your fingers. Use the inside of your index finger near the tip, and run the ratchet down your finger through the webbing between forefinger and thumb, and along the thumb to its tip. You get a much faster action, and you can generally get them tighter.\n\nMake sure that the boot is a good fit though, and when you are tightening them try to hold the boot closed with one hand so there is a bit of slack in the wire when you tighten. This will make sure the fit is even and should avoid pressure points.",
"score": 5
}
] |
1990's scifi/drama/horror? Miniseries. I was like 12 at the time. I can't remember what network... | It was like a 3 day or 5 day miniseries on abc/fox or some other network. It was somewhere in the 90's between 1992-1998. It involved people at an airport, they were the only people there, started freaking out. They either got trapped in some alternate universe or something. All kinds of crazy shit started happening. That's as much as I remember but I would definitely would like to see it again. Anyone?
EDIT: SnailFarmer kicks ass and found it for me, thank you! | 6 | [
{
"body": "was it stephen king langoliers? the little jerks started eating reality. like a pac man, but in lame cgi",
"score": 8
}
] |
What's the best comic book app for iPhone | I've tried a couple different apps for reading .cbr and .cbz files, but each of them seems to have some fatal flaw that makes it unusable. Does anyone read comics on their iPhone and could they recommend a good, working app for me to use?
I don't care if it costs a couple bucks, but I prefer free, and I can't be buying ten apps just to test them out. | 8 | [
{
"body": "[Comic zeal](http://www.bitolithic.com/ComicZeal/comiczeal.htm) is pretty awesome. Really like the rotation lock and the wireless sync.",
"score": 7
}
] |
This is my husband, he's pretty awesome | Someone mentioned there weren't enough awesome husband posts, so here's mine. In this picture :http://imgur.com/YfQ8Q , he is sitting in a field with our three daughters, teaching them about all manner of things on a picnic outing. I was at work that day, he works from home.
He is a Ruby developer, a loyal friend, a great lover, and a kind soul. He taught me to use a computer and copy & paste. He helps me overcome neuroses ingrained from a scary childhood. He is a pushover, a softie, and a nerd. I love him to death. He is also redditor m3talsmith: http://www.reddit.com/user/m3talsmith
edit: sorry about the link mess. also- clarification: he is sitting with my oldest and youngest, the middle one is taking the pic. | 115 | [
{
"body": "Your husband is a Ruby developer? He must treat you like shit. I hear they treat women like objects. ",
"score": 110
},
{
"body": "Why do I get the feeling that all women of reddit are upvoting this and posting comments like \"wow, you're so lucky\", and all men are downvoting and saying \"don't give a shit/I expected a vibrator/...\"?\n\nI'm a male geek and I approve of this message.\n\n(upvoted, and I hope my wife some day thinks the same of me. In fact, maybe she already does...)",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "What? No one is gonna post [this dumb shit](http://xkcd.com/684/) because OP is female? Such a sexist bunch reddit is.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "Did anyone else expect this to be a dildo? Considering all the pictures of guys [\"Wives\"](http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ambnl/reddit_meet_my_wife_shes_pretty_awesome/) that been posted recently.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Here's [mine](http://imgur.com/HVUKM), on Bondi beach in Sydney.\n\nA big hunk, and a UNIX programmer.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I expected something awesome like a guy slaying a bear or fighting with sharks. I guess I expect too much from reddit these days...",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Wow... Your husband looks a lot like my BF from the side and his description is the same as well... Loyal, ruby developer, softy/kind-hearted, nerd, etc. Though I was already a full fledged geek when we met and we only have one daughter so far. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Don't tell us, tell your friends.\r\n\r\nI hope to someday live in a world were girls know that nerd are good boyfriends, husbands and dads. STOP PICKING THE ASSHOLES!",
"score": 3
}
] |
I was just thinking... | How amazing is it that we are all interconnected, we were brought here from every corner of this planet with a common interest. I don't specifically mean this subreddit but the concept as a whole - there is a subreddit for everyone and anyone, imagine the whole world interconnected sharing news and information. It's one thing to read about something on a blog, newspaper, news site but it's another thing entirely when you get information directly from the people and not a journalist who at the end of the day is doing it for the money - perhaps one day.
I've been brought up with the internet but it really is amazing and something I take for granted and I'm sure many of you do.
My next smokes for you Mr Internet. | 20 | [
{
"body": "(7) why, back in my day we had *libraries* that had *books* shelved by the [Dewey Decimal System](http://en.wikipedia.org wiki/Dewey_Decimal_Classification) and, as a matter of fact, It did suck compared to the intertubes. now you've made me feel old. get off my lawn. It's past my bedtime.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "I feel like that I don't know how to not take it for granted. I've never really had to do without it since I grew up in the 90s. I've never been outside of the US and although I'm not rich, we always had a computer and the internet.\n\nIt's an amazing and beautiful thing that can be just as equally disgusting and hateful",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "i can remember my dad coming home with remants of an ATM machine and showing me how to solder the board together. i had a 386 and a 486. those were so much fun. windows 3.1 had all the glory any kid could want. imagine my happiness when we got a 2400 baud modem. BBS FTW!",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "I was just thinking the other day about the how profoundly the internet has changed my life. \n\nWithout the internet, I never would have discovered any of the beautiful music that I take for granted; jazz, flamenco, bossa nova, punk rock, and indie were all introduced to me via the internet. Personally, I believe that in an age where art and music can be instantaneously shared with anyone in the world, culture is no lounger bound by constraints like heritage or geographical location. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I probably would have never even thought of smoking weed had it not been for the internet. \n\nThanks Mr. Internet! ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "i was just thinking the same thing last night when I was [5]; we've become so connected over the past twenty years and this fact has become so intertwined with our lives that we don't even think much of it anymore. the current generation doesn't even understand life without google, facebook, twitter etc. \n\ncompared with the rest of human history, it certainly feels that we're living in one of the most transformative periods of our development as a species and it's only just beginning--technology is advancing at a rate so quickly it's tough to even predict what we'll have in just 10 years. my only frustration is that i won't be around forever to watch!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "[7] its nice to have a place like trees because we can all come together, share and learn from each other's experiences, give/receive advice and smoke bowls together on stickcam...what more could you ask for?",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I think it's awesome. I especially love how many people are members (3,535 at the current count) and there has yet to be any drama!!\n\nAnd weed is an evil plant...fuck off. Stupid misinformed populace.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Day 3: Last cigarette at 11pm Tuesday, 5th January 2010 | No real reason why actually, I just woke up the next morning and decided I didn't want to do it anymore, it wasn't a well thought out decision or a resolution of any sort.
Bit difficult for me because most of my friends smoke and so does my mom, who refuses to quit even when I told her I am trying to. The only compromise I'm getting from her is that she won't smoke in front of me. This isn't to say I can't still smell the smoke coming from her room or see the packs lying on the coffee table.
Manageable still cos I just stay in my room now everytime I'm at home =P
The cravings are all right so far and apart from a moment last night when I was sorely tempted to light one up for old times sake it's been pretty smooth so far.
Only thing I can't stand so far is that for some reason I have developed a sour taste in my mouth which I can't seem to get rid of permanently and my throat which feels blocked up. Funny thing is I never developed the smoker's cough when I was actually smoking, so it kinda sucks that it's happening now =(
I also seem to keep MUNCHING it's ridiculous and I really don't want to make the choice between being healthy and fat or skinny but smokey!
I'm going to be checking in here every day until the cravings go away for moral support!
Good luck to everyone else and please if you have any tips on how to make this go easier do share! =)
| 8 | [
{
"body": "Keep it up. Your sense of taste is returning and your throat and lungs are sloughing off the damaged bits. In the long term, you're better off putting on a few pounds than continuing to smoke. Excersise can help fight the cravings and the weight gain if you are so inclined.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Have you guys worked boring, repetitive, assembly line jobs? How do you keep yourself entertained? | I was lucky enough to be hired for the 3 weeks I'm home from school at a margarine factory. 12 hour days of *pick up tub of margarine, put in box* about 10 000 times a day or *pick up box, place on pallet* 1500 times in a day.
It wasn't unbearable for just 3 weeks but some guys have been there for decades. It would hurt my soul to spend my life doing that.
I was able to spend a lot of time thinking about ergonomics and efficiency and making sure every motion was fast and efficient. I even tried to see how long I could go with my eyes closed before I screwed up. I was able to spend a lot of time in "shallow" thought, just kinda letting things run through my head and reflecting lightly on whatever's going on in my life. I couldn't do any deep thinking while doing my job. It was tough to stay entertained.
Anyone else been through this? How do you cope? Please give me an awesome answer so I can commit to working there all summer. | 4 | [
{
"body": "Yes, I've been there. I worked at a trail mix factory. I focused on the sounds that the machines made, and timed my movements to match the machines. This was all in an attempt to collect as many bags as the machine would produce, so that I was as fast as the machine. Thanks for reminding me about that awesome 3 months of my life.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I worked in a glass factory for a summer. You have to pay attention or you can get yourself or someone killed but non the less there was a lot of down time. \nI brought in music. I conjugated Spanish verbs. I did fun math in my head. Though about what I was going to do on my time off. Thought about my relationship. Self improvements.\n Just try to think about positive/fun things. Imagine the person next to you eating a whole case of margarine. What you would do if you have super powers etc etc.\nGood Luck. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I had such a boring job for a couple of summers when I was home from college. If I didn't have any coworkers my age to chat with, I would amuse myself by trying to translate my random thoughts into Spanish (which I was taking at school.) It gave me practice conjugating my verbs and kept me from going crazy. \r\n\r\nThe second summer I was allowed to have a radio in the back room, so I kept it tuned to talk radio just to keep my brain awake. Can you have an iPod or radio?\r\n\r\nEdit: I didn't see the Spanish verbs comment from pteridine before I added my own. I guess it must be effective!\r\n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Been there. I once made the rubber soles for shoes. Push a mold into a machine, watch a clock tick down 90 seconds, remove soles, and repeat. I lasted 12 hours. I walked out at lunch break the second day.\n\nIf you are committed to this job then here is my advice:\n\n* Do not excel at this! In fact, fuck it up. Many companies are desperate to keep people. Those that can do shit jobs will never get ahead. Those that can not often get promoted. I'm not kidding about this.\n\n* If you don't want to intentionally fuck up on a job then do MUCH less work than everyone else. Same reason applies.\n\n* Watch out - many supervisors are insanely jealous of people who know more and can do more than they can. They will stomp you out for fear of their own jobs.\n\n* Find the owner or top manager and appeal to get a better job. You wrote, \"I was able to spend a lot of time thinking about ergonomics and efficiency and making sure every motion was fast and efficient.\" Sounds like you are promotable, just make sure you're not competing with the owner's family...",
"score": 3
}
] |
My friends say he's clueless. I say he's not interested. What do you say, RA? | I liked what I saw, so I went for it. It was scary as hell, but I managed. I spoke to this guy a few days before Christmas, just before the semester let out. We live in different towns (when out of school) so it would be a few weeks before we could meet up in person again.
During this time, though, we spent hours chatting online and texting back and forth. Our conversations would go on until two or three in the morning. Finally, we made plans to go watch Avatar 3D.
I was thrilled. We have so much in common, we discovered. The man is *brilliant*, and gorgeous (in my opinion). So we meet up to watch the movie. And then It happens. We're both shy and a bit awkward. It's a little quiet but he manages to crack jokes before and during the movie. I laugh. The movie is great, and it comes time for me to drive him home. We have a nice talk on the way, more jokes, etc.
I thought things went well - but there was no kiss. Not even a hug. There was a moment of awkwardness, though, when he sort of turned to me and laughed nervously, but he continued on his way. He said he had fun. But I didn't really hear from him for the next week.
This is why I think he's not interested. Now, I have limited experience so I don't really know how to read this stuff. The thing is, though, that I have *some* experience. The guy has none. He has never had a girlfriend. In fact, he has never been told he is attractive until I said so the day we went to watch the movie. He said he didn't know what to say because it was the last thing he ever expected to hear from anyone.
My friends say I should hold out for a while because he might not know what to do. I kind of think that's bullshit, though, because if he were interested, wouldn't things continue as before? I think I'm overthinking things again, but I value your opinion very much.
tl;dr: met a guy, thought we hit it off, went to see a movie, didn't hear from him again for a week and now I'm positive he's not interested, but my friends say I should wait it out. | 3 | [
{
"body": "I think this is one of those things you women are supposed to call...\n\n\"Adorable?\" Either that, or he doesn't have a lot of confidence. Being single for 20-something years will do that to a guy.\n\nI'd definitely say he's the clueless type. Here's what I imagine was going through his head:\n\n>*God, this girl is so... jeez. I really like her. That was really fun. Do I kiss her? But it's the first date! I mean, I've talked to her a lot online but this isn't online. I don't know if she'd be comfortable... what if she thinks I think she's a slut? What if she really IS a slut? I don't have condoms, oh god. No, no. She's not a slut. Definitely not a slut. Why would she be a slut? But she does have those lips, that body, those eyes...*\n\n>*Uh-oh. Those eyes.*\n\n>*They're looking at me.*\n\n>*Like I'm supposed to do something. Uh, shit. Shit.*\n\n>*SHIT.*\n\n>*I'm not sure. What do I do? Hold on, maybe if I can look into her eyes and see some smoldering passionate... uh... embers, maybe?*\n\n/looks\n\n>*Fuck. What was I thinking. Embers? Were there supposed to be embers? I didn't see any ember-- You idiot.*\n\n>*Of course there would be no literal embers, you just have no clue what you're looking for. Shit. You're still staring at her. Laugh, play it off, play it cool...*\n\n**\"Ha. Ha. Ha.\"**\n\n>*FUCK. NICE ONE, CASANOVA! God, she probably thinks I'm some super-creep now. The looky-laughy kind. Better bow out gracefully... again. For the 2Xth year in a row, you do NOT have a girlfriend. Nice going, jackoff. Go die alone some more.*\n\n\"I had a really good time tonight. Thanks for coming out.\"\n\n>*... and I wish I was the kind of guy you liked.*\n\nHe probably mulled over calling you, but passed some imaginary \"X-day rule\" in his brain, and now he can't because that would be totally 'breaking the rules.'\n\nThis is the thought process of the nervous, dateless-for-20-something-years-guy.\n\nYou're gonna have to lay most of the groundwork for this one, if you intend on pursuing it. That's a purely optional **if**, mind you.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "I think he's shy and nervous as hell. Why do I say that? Because I've been this guy. \n\nNow I'm not making excuses for him either, he does need to get a clue, I just think he doesn't know how to make that first big leap. You said there was a moment when a kiss / hug would have been right - well, I'm sure he felt that too but he may have misinterpreted the situation. \n\nUs guy's can over-think things too, especially when we have self confidence issues. \n\nAnyway, like I said, I think he is just having a hard time making the leap from friends to something more. As for what to do ... well, I'm not sure. You said you are shy as well and you shouldn't have to do all the work either, but, you do like him so it's worth giving it some more time.\n\n\nEDIT : Since I've been this guy, I am really rooting for him so my advice could very well be biased. Please read other comments and don't just take my word for it.",
"score": 17
},
{
"body": "I've been in your situation. I finally got fed up with the situation and just kissed him. He reciprocated because he'd liked me all along, but was too shy/insecure to go for it even after I made it clear that I was interested.\n\nSo, I'm sorry to say, but, if you really want to be with this guy, you're going to have to take the first step. Eventually he'll warm up to you.\n\nFWIW, I'm still with the shy guy, and this is turning out to be the best relationship of my life. 3 years into it and I love him more than when we started going out. Also, now that he's opened up to me, I have discovered just how awesome he was underneath that shy exterior.",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "Reminds me of me 2 years ago, my first girlfriend was flirting with me for 3 months and we actually went out on like 3 dates before i actually got it when she kissed me.\n\nI kept telling myself i was imagining the signals she was sending.\n\nMy advice, be aggressive, he will probably thank you later!",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Just wait for his post to RA asking whether or not the girl he's into would have been ok with a good night kiss.\n\nYou'll know what to do then.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "There was a moment of awkwardness because, well . . . it's awkward. This guy most likely spent the entire time he was with you looking for signs that it was ok to touch you or kiss you. If he was more experienced he would have held you in some way during the movie . . . but as you said he has no experience. You should have been leaning into him during the movie to encourage said behavior, perhaps even let your head rest on his shoulder for a moment and see if he leans back into you in response. It sounds like you had no physical contact during the entire date and then stood staring at the end . . . the end result is not surprising. At that point you're both thinking \"well, this is the end of the date, should I go for it? Man he/she didn't even touch me the whole time. I mean the date went well enough, I think, and we laughed but I'm not sure how he/she feels OH GOD AWKWARD PAUSE DO SOMETHING\" ::laughs:: well . . . peace out . .. yo . . . hah. (oh god I'm such a loser walk away quickly). ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "He sounds like he might be a bit clueless here. I'm 43 and find I'm still a bit clueless when it comes to women. It looks like you will have to step up to the plate here. Sounds like a nice guy. Go for it. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "You're allowed to message him to let him know you had a great time, and would be keen for something again?",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "As a guy who has never been on a date or had any experience with romance, I can sympathise with this guy. If I went on a date, I'm not sure I'd be able to take that leap at the end and kiss the girl. I'd be too afraid it was unwelcome or that I'd mess it up, and that fear/insecurity would paralyse me from taking action.\n\nSounds to me like he's interested, just inexperienced and as nervous as hell. Sounds like you'll have to take the first step again and be the one to initiate it.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Reddit, why am I always tired? | I get at least 8 hours of sleep every night and on weekends I get at least 10. I'm a freshman in high school and the only thing that I can think of would be growing. (I'm 6 foot and have grown about 5 inches over 2009.) Any ideas why besides that? | 4 | [
{
"body": "What's your diet like? Do you eat a ton of junk food and not enough fruits and veggies? That could cause you to feel tired. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Why are so many medications incompatible with alcohol? | I've always been curious why I can't drink at all whenever I'm on virtually any kind of prescription medication. Is it just doctors being overly cautious or does alcohol just mess everything up? | 48 | [
{
"body": "#Short answer\nAlcohol is a [P450 inducer.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytochrome_P450#Drug_metabolism) \n\n##Long answer\nP450 is an enzyme that metabolizes many, if not most, of the drugs that we take. Alcohol is a P450 inducer, which basically means that it makes it metabolize drugs faster. Some of the metabolites of these drugs can be toxic (e.g. [Tylenol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol_toxicity)), so inducing P450 would make you have excessive amounts of the toxic metabolites in your body, which can lead to liver toxicity. Other drugs are inactivated by P450, so inducing P450 will make the drug be less effective since it's not going to be in your body as long. \n\nWhat doctors are trying to avoid is killing your liver (or other vital organ), and making sure that the medicines you take work as they should.",
"score": 64
},
{
"body": "Your liver is in charge of breaking down most of the foreign chemicals that enter you body (this includes medications, alcohol and a bunch of other things). Your kidneys help out here and there, but it's mostly your liver doing the work every day. So, when you're taking a new med, your liver has something new to deal with. Some medications are simply broken down, some actually mess with the liver a bit. By drinking alcohol on top of that, you're basically making your liver play a game of catch up as it's trying to metabolize everything.\n\ntl;dr Medications make your liver work more than it normally has to. Alcohol only adds to that work. Love your liver and listen to your doctors when they say don't drink.\n\nPS. One random exception, metronidazole (Flagyl), a fairly common antibiotic. It's metabolized in the same way AntAbuse is, a drug alcoholics take that makes them incredibly ill if they fall off the wagon. Flagyl+Alcohol=worst hangover you could fathom",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "Alcohol increases the effect of some medications (like narcotics, opiates, and benzos) pretty dramatically, as the world learned back in the 70s due to [this tragedy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Ann_Quinlan).",
"score": 5
}
] |
Can you think of a single moment in your life that changed your life? If so what was it? | I always thought this was complete BS when people spoke of this event. Now that I had one, I know exactly what they're talking about. Mine happened a week ago. I'm 17 and was on a cruise. Before this I had a lot of trouble with the ladies. I had recently had my first kiss, but they never talked to me after because I was so bad. On the cruise, I met a girl who I hooked up with on the third day. She apparently was really into me after that. However, like I always do, I second guessed my every move, and became really unsure of myself. The next day went all right, we made out a couple times, but things were off because of my lack of confidence. The next day she told me she thought we should be just friends for the rest of the cruise. I went to my room in a depression that lasted the remainder of the cruise. After sprinting down to her room the last night in the ballsiest attempt of my life to make things right, and practically breaking the elevator, she pushes me out the room, saying no before I can speak a word. Turns out she was completely wasted that night, but I still went to bed depressed as hell. Woke up the next morning, hit with some sort of epiphany. I finally realized how i needed to be way more confident and not overthink my every decision. I feel a completely different person now and have gotten noticeably more attention from people back home. Anyone else have any stories they wish to share? | 21 | [
{
"body": "I decided to go back to college at 26. The guy I was dating seemed less than thrilled. A few weeks before school started I asked him what the deal was with his general unsupportiveness. He said something along the lines that he just didn't think I could do it. It was like a switch in my head went off. I told him that if that's how I felt, I didn't think we could date anymore (had been dating for3+ years and friends for many more than that). I though he was my soul mate and it just turned off completely in a moment of what I can only describe as mental clarity.\n Not only did I go, I did great, graduated top in my class, and am in grad school on a full fellowship. He's still working part time delivering pizza. ",
"score": 26
},
{
"body": "In my country the ministry of education requires the completion of a certain amount of community service hours in order to graduate from high school. Each school has their programs. Mine in the summer following our junior year split my class (43) into 3 camps. We were sent to very remote towns in the interior of the country. Mine stayed at a school in a tiny tiny community an hour away from the tiniest town.\n\nThe community that lived there lived under extreme conditions. They all lived in houses of quincha. I don't know what the english translation is but they pretty much look like [this](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/69/221068162_e234388245.jpg). They didn't have running water nor electricity. They used latrines and walked to the river to wash their clothes, bathe and gather drinking water. People often use the same water to dump wastes, excrete and dump hazardous materials.\n\nThey get no health care whatsoever. Most get barely 37 dollars a month to support their families of 14 (and all 14 will live and sleep in a house about the size of the picture above). Many are facing extreme malnutrition, and their bellies are inflated as they are infested with parasites. Many are also covered in scars due to seasonal fires. They get no medical care so the burns leave them awfully deformed.\n\nIn this program we were to live with them, offer summer classes to the children in the community, teach people living there how to do simple math and how to read and write. We also fixed up the community's school, painted murals, donated new chairs, tables, books, vitamins, medication, etc. \n\nI went to a pretty snobby school were most of the students are sons of important people in the country. Most of them live pretty affluent lives and live disconnected from the reality that a great percentage of the population in this country live in. The worst thing about this is that many will move on as leaders in my country. The point of the program was to bring us down to earth and *live* for three weeks what they live their whole lives. We lived extreme poverty for 3 weeks.\n\nThis was probably the most amazing experience I have ever had.\n\nTowards the end of it 3 of my friends and I wanted to reach out to the poorest family. The one that lived farthest from the community. We made a huge care package to take to them (sheets, food, clothes, shoes, medication, etc). We had to cross two mountains to get there. In the height of summer. We walked under the blazing sun for 2 hours (something they often do). Once we got there, my heart tore to pieces. Her house was half the size of the one in the picture above. It was a family of 5. The woman was very old (in her mid 50s) and had 4 really young children to care for on her own. Once we got there and tried to explain what we were giving her she barely understood us and was crying to see all that we took to her. We helped her clean out her house and put the sheets on her bed. While we were clearing out the bed we found a single egg her sole chicken had laid. She barely spoke to us the time we were there, the whole time she was just smiling, holding onto our hands in a very appreciative way. \n\nRight before leaving, she signaled me to hold my hand out and looked at me with the softest look in her eyes as she laid the egg in my hand. The fact that this woman had barely anything and she made this little offering to me really touched me. This experience changed the way I look at life entirely.",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "While I've had a few huge events that made stunning changes, I can't help but think how a few small and meaningless events led to a huge change for me.\r\n\r\nI had been divorced for some while and since this was a time before Reddit, I rarely got online. I remember being by myself in my apartment and wanting to watch a DVD I had bought (Austin Powers). I go to put it in the player but accidentally broke the AV video cord. Since I didn't have another, I was out of luck. At this time, I remember that another guy at the end of my complex had one, but I didn't have his number handy. However, it was on his Yahoo profile. I was lazy and decided to go that route instead of walking the two hundred feet to his apartment to ask. When I pulled up Yahoo, I saw where you could browse the profiles of others. I was just looking at the relatively goofy shit people post when I saw that one person had put as their occupation \"I ride the short bus\". I had to know what this meant and decided to IM the person to ask. \r\n\r\nThe person who received the IM had just happened to log onto their computer that evening for the first time in several weeks and sent me an answer. We talked for a few moments and before logging off and going our way, figured that we had been schoolmates years before and new each other. We both said that we would talk again the next day. \r\n\r\nThat was almost ten years ago that I met the woman who would become my wife and best friend. I keep that broken AV cable here in my office as a reminder.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "For me it would be the day that I dropped out of my school's advanced class in the middle of 7th grade. Looking back I think I quit because I deemed it to be too much work for too little return, and I was desperate for people to like me - to feel like I fit in and wasn't a nerd. I figured there was no way the kids outside of the class , especially the then oh-so-critically-important-and-unobtainable girls, would have any interest in spending time with one of the nerdy kids in Horizons. I dropped out basically in the hope of becoming more universally appealing. That unfortunately started the academic apathy that plagued my life and education from 8th grade until I graduated college. It also failed to expand my social circle or get me any ladies. \n\nI am intelligent and capable (arguable at this point?) but put no effort into high school, went off to college with no forethought and graduated with a marketing degree because that was simply the program in to which I defaulted after 1.5 years. I entered a job market flooded with recent graduates of generic business programs and with plenty of unappealing insurance and other sales positions. At that point I had an apparently useless degree, was unemployed, lived in my step father's basement, and was left by my college girlfriend. I ended up back at my family's business (Ford dealership) and starting selling cars. I am not naturally gregarious, argumentative or persuasive so the 5 years I have been doing that have been something of a struggle but also quite a growth experience. \n\nAt this point I look back on the decision made by the lonely 7th grade me as a (the?) pivotal point in my life. There are lots of details in the decade-plus that have passed, but that moment was the beginning of me doing what I thought would make me fit in with people I admired rather than what would actually benefit me in the long run. A miscalculation of priorities, if you will. At 29 years old I now feel trapped in the car guy role and am terrified at the concept of changing my situation by going back to school for fear of failing (or picking the wrong path) and wasting the time and money required for education. I can not and will not continue down the path on which I find myself, but I don't have any idea as to how I can change my life at this point and move forward. \n\nI saw this askreddit and had to type out something. There's probably a lot more that should be said at some point, but I won't subject you nice folks to all that. \n\ntl;dr: 7th grade me decides that school isn't important and trying to be appealing is. Now 29 years old and quite down about where I've ended up and where I'm headed. Also hope I didn't screw up formatting.\n\n",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I was in junior high just as AOL was becoming somewhat mainstream. I had been a Prodigy guy for a few years, and at the time on both AOL and Prodigy it was not all that easy to access \"the internet\". You were mostly limited to their \"channels\". \n\nAnyway, I found AOL's browser and the Webcrawler search engine one day. There was so much information there for the picking, I could not believe it. The next day I went into my computer class at school and was telling this kid who sat next to me how cool I thought this was. He leaned over to me, smiled, and said \"search for sex, you'll be amazed\". \n\n",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "mine was when my father died. then i knew i was on my own. i had was married, had my own place, but always in the back of your mind is 'i can always go home if there's problems'. growing up sucks\r\n",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I was 15 and got dragged to a work friend's birthday party. They told me to bring my violin. At around midnight, two of the guys there busted out guitars and told me to come join them. I was nervous, but had taken improv classes and managed to hold my own really well, even with songs I'd never heard before.\n\nIt's hard to explain, but it took two very drunk men telling me I was amazing for some of that self-worth to finally start sticking. It absolutely changed my life for the better.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I have many but the ones that came to mind\n\n1) The day I decided to quit MMORPGs and video games in general (I spent 222 days logged into FFXI and 93 days into WoW)\n\n2) I took ecstasy for the first time (my social anxiety magically disappeared the day after I took it, I was at more ease with myself and who I am when I took it) \n\n3) Going to fucking Burning Man 2009. Changed my outlook on life on everything and gave me confidence in knowing I can acheive anything in life. I can't really explain how/why I felt that way after going to it, you just have to go",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I tried mushrooms for the first time with my boyfriend just this week. I tripped out hard, in the most beautiful and perfect way imaginable to me. Ever since then my mood has been better and I feel much different, a lot happier. I have tried drugs until now, and probably won't do them again (aside from weed once in a while) but that trip has really made me see things differently. Life is beautiful.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I was in college tending bar when one of my buddies came in at 12:01 AM to celebrate his birthday. In the one hour till bar close, I resolved to wreck his ass with every nasty shot I knew. It had the expected vomitous conclusion that evening.\n\nSince he was in no shape to drink much the night of his actual birthday, he decided to turn the tables and get me shitfaced as revenge. And boy, did he ever! \n\nThe next morning I'm have foggy memories of being very forward with our gorgeous cocktail waitress, who was an acquaintance. Although I remembered dogging her for her number earlier (which she actually gave me) I didn't remember much else afterward. Apparently I was slapping her ass and pulling her down on my lap, which didn't seem to go over too well.\n\nUnsure if she'd even want to talk to me, I sheepishly called her up to apologize for my boorish behavior. To my delight she said it was no big deal and we chatted for a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, summer ended and we went our separate ways back to college before I grew the balls to call her back to ask her out on a date. (God, I was such a pussy!)\nThrough my junior year of college, I had never had a real girlfriend and was unusually anxious about rejection from women. Even though (maybe because) this chick was way out of my league, I kept her number and resolved to call her up and ask her out when we were both home on Christmas break.\n\nNormally I would've been way too timid to call her for a date, but I knew if I didn't act fast I'd blow whatever meager chance I had of cavorting with this goddess. I couldn't possibly wuss out and live with myself (but perhaps was destined to live by myself - indefinitely). \n\nAfter mulling over what to say, I finally just sat down and dialed her number. As the phone began to ring, I gulped. When she picked up the line and said \"Hello\", my skin flushed and my mind went blank in a panic.\n\nI not sure what I said, but she agreed to go out to have a drink and shoot pool - hell yeah! I knew she was a keeper when I teased her about being able to see down her sweater as she bent over to take a shot, and she just winked. Later that night I saw honest-to-goodness fireworks when we shared our first kiss (I swear!)\n\nThat was over 17 years ago. I'll be damned if we didn't go fall in love and get married - going on 13 years w/ 3 kids. She's still gorgeous (and I'm still overachieving)!\n\nTLDR: As payback, buddy got me wasted and I ended up mildly sexually harassing our gorgeous cocktail waitress. Although I actually got her number, I lacked the balls to call her for date. Months later, facing the prospect of being lonely forever, I finally grew a pair and decided ask her out. We fell in love and got married.\n\n\n\n\n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Going on the Atkins diet at 17. The begininng of me taking control of my life. I also learned from the experience that people hate seeing those around them improve themselves since it reflects upon their own ability to improve upon themselves. \r\n\r\nFrom elementary through my teens I'd been an obese kid. Overweight, socially anxious and awkward, lonely, confused, poor, unskilled, living in a place I hated... I had crushing low self esteem. I weighed around 240 at 5'10 then. I'd been hearing about the Atkins diet for a while at this time. Now I'd never been a fan of diets before, but the thought of a meat and cheese only diet sounded too awesome not to try out. I'd read from someplace that the first two weeks of the diet was hard but after that it got much easier, so I made a deal with myself to try it for two and a half weeks.\r\n\r\nThe first week was rough. I had to cook every meal at home. I grew tired of certain foods way faster and much more than I thought I would. Especially sausage. I got bad headaches. My mom begins offering me sandwhiches and other foods I'm not supposed to eat pretty much every day. \r\n\r\nOn the second week, my appetite had completely died. I could simply wake up and eat breakfast and feel perfectly fine for the rest of the day. My body started digging into my fat reserves and burning them giving me a lot of energy. I started working out and bought some free weights. My mom continues offering me food I'm not supposed to eat, my grandma offers me cake and ice cream, our close family friend goads me into going out to eat with him.\r\n\r\nBy the third week, my body wasn't just burning through my fat, it was exploding through it. I had begun jogging at a park a bit away from where I live, pumping my free weights 5 times a week, and I had absolutely no desire for carbohydrates of any kind. I felt the need to run everywhere. I weighed 30 pounds less now. Everyone I know simueltaneously congratulates me on my efforts and tries to shove food into my mouth at every opportunity and protest when I say \"no\", because they \"like me just the way I am\". People generally act like my diet is an affront to them personally.\r\n\r\nI continue the diet for another month and a half or so before easing vegetables and fruits back into my diet. I move to a new city I like much more and out of my mom's place. About 6 months after I begun the diet I'm down to 165 and have grown muscles I didn't even knew existed. \r\n\r\nIt's hard to express within words how much this changed my life without making a book out of it, but Atkins really changed my entire perspective on my physical health, mental health, how much control over our own bodies a person can have, discipline...just about everything. I felt more alive than I could ever remember. \r\n\r\nI've not been working out for a while, and currently I'm up to about 210...but a good deal of that weight is now muscle, not fat. I look pretty good. I feel good in my own skin. I would even go so far to say that I'm more confident than your average guy in many ways. Atkins would be a horrible diet plan for the long term, but because of it I was led down the path to becoming the person I'd always wanted to be.\r\n\r\n",
"score": 3
}
] |
Is anybody here an atheist/agnostic turned
Christian? | I have never met anyone who has had this happen to themselves or anyone they know. I am curious as to what event(s) brought about such a change in an individual.
[e] I am sorry if this is a repost but the search function is terrible. | 23 | [
{
"body": "More to the point, is there anyone who actually took the time to think about and analyze both sides of the issue before choosing Christianity?\n\n(There's a big difference between reading the Bible and Thomas More / Thomas Aquinas / St. Augustine on the one hand, and Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, etc., on the other, vs. growing up ignorant of religion and then meeting a cute Christian girl in high school and going to church camp with her and deciding that Christianity can be fun.)\n\nHaving grown up Christian and then realized that Jesus is really Santa for grown-ups, I can tell you the reverse transition is much more common.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "I'm a former atheist (who was sometime agnostic), born and raised into an agnostic family. I've seen how good God is, and now I'm a Follower of Christ.\n\nThis is a long post, one that I shared with some friends recently. It's a very bit long, but if you want details, here's the details on how I went from agnostic to becoming a man of faith. It's a bit private, but I've scrubbed out names.\n\nMy story starts just under two years ago when I met L. When her and I met, it was special - we just felt so comfortable with each other, and it quickly built into a trusting relationship. Very early on in our relationship, L asked me a question that would change my life: \"Why don't you believe in God?\". As with many agnostics, I said some illogical things, and blustered my way through the conversation. I realized rather quickly that I didn't know what I was talking about that, and planned to fix it. So, I did what I'd learned all my life I started reading, a lot. I picked up a bible, and dove into Matthew head first. (Picked both because it was the first gospel, and because I like the name!) Over the course of a couple weeks, I read all four Gospels and Acts. I was content at first to just read and maybe talk to L a little about it - but that was it
or so I thought - God had different plans for me.\n \nOne day, L asked if I wanted to come to church with her on Sunday. To my surprise, I said yes without the slightest hesitation. I went to church, and was impressed by the passion everyone had, and it felt like the sermon was targeted solely at me. I started to accept some parts of Christianity, but I was surrounded by a lot of secular friends, which didn't exactly encourage me to always walk with God.\n \nI became slightly more aware and involved in the Christian community for the next year and a bit, but I still wasn't fully embracing Christ. Or, at least I thought I wasn't. I didn't realize how important he was in my life until my parents separated. When this happened, I was saddened by it, but I had one profound concern: am I going to be able to love L for the rest of my life, or are we doomed to failure. This is the first time that I went to Gods word in fear and need of some serious comfort. I found serious comfort, and picked up my faith a little bit. I became somewhat active in my church, Grace Toronto. I joined a small group with other people that were around my age. I also began praying somewhat regularly. In hindsight, I did some Christian-like things, but I still wasn't living my calling. I had a lot to learn - I still do. Heres where the story takes a turn for the sad part.\n \nOn boxing day, driving home after some time with family, L broke down in tears. In between sobs, she explained how God had really made her question how certain she was about our relationship. This terrified both of us, and as we stayed up late talking, both of us cried a lot, and prayed a lot for wisdom. From boxing day until the early days of January, L and I constantly read His word, prayed together, and did studies on relationships. It worked occasionally, but ultimately, L still had this feeling in her stomach that God would not let us be together.\n \nAfter a week of praying, L and I agreed that we couldn't do any more together, and we needed time alone to reflect and seek counsel from friends and parents. L went home to her parents, and we didn't even text each other (which was a feat, considering we hadn't gone a day without talking in over a year). The first days were horrible for both of us. I cried whenever I was alone, and when I wasn't crying, I was thinking about her and how I was about to lose the girl of my dreams. I kept praying to God that he let me keep her, and that he give me the wisdom to know how to keep her. I realize now that I was trying to pray my plans into His perfect plan. You can guess how that went.\n \nMy life changed, 100% completely on the third day apart. I stopped praying to keep her, I started praying to understand Gods will; to receive his love and peace; to be closer with him so I can speak with him. These prayers, he answered, almost immediately. I was filled with a sense of peace, a sense of wisdom on where I was to go from here. God told me, in one night, exactly what he wanted from me, I'm sure of it.\n \nL came over after a couple this week alone to discuss our relationship. I wasn't as hurt or broken as I thought I'd be - I was incredibly sad, but I had this sense of peace that no one could remove from me. As we talked, we realized that both of us love each other dearly. And we also realized that we had a really broken relationship, one that didnt glorify God, and one that was full of sin. With only a few tears, we agreed that God does not want us dating right now. He wants us to become involved in our city and build our circle of supporters and friends. And with a smile, I walked L to the subway and changed from \"Dating the girl of my dreams\" to \"Solely focused on my God\". What a change.\n \nI have this peace about me right now, as he speaks to me about his plans for me. I know what I'm going to do to get involved in the church, become a better Christian, and grow with God. I'm excited to meet more people in the church and build new friendships. L and I will still see each other in the church as friends, and our small group will still have both of us seeing each other occasionally. I still see myself marrying L in the future, but I have a long way to go before we can consider courting again. For now, I'm learning to be satisfied in God alone.\n \nA week ago, I couldn't imagine feeling this way about breaking up with L, but my relationship with God has grown by at least 10 years in the course of a few nights. My bible is currently open to Joshua 1:9: \"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.\" It fits, and it works.\n \nThis story isn't finished, and only God knows where it's going to go. Right now, I'm confident that I will find myself with L again - but that might not be the case. Wherever I go, He has a plan, and His is better than I can conceive.\n\n\n**TL;DR (Haiku)**:\n\nI met a great girl\n\nWho shared her God with me\n\nAnd I let her go\n\n",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "There's one here:\n\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/ame47/please_recommend_some_christian_authors_who_write/c0ibomu",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I became a Christian in adolescence. I pretty much discarded most of my faith in college, clinging to a mere vestige of spirituality (not hard atheism, but more of a God is dead and man has killed him kind of thing). I returned to honestly believing after leaving college and having to come to terms with a number of other things.\n\nMostly, it was the search for a relatively consistent ethics, which the teachings and example of Jesus Christ provide. Also, there was a fair amount of self-hatred involved. Sure, I repeatedly fail to live to those standards, but if I choose easy standards, do I become a better person? Probably not.\n\nSo what about the magic? I could discuss Christian metaphysics and its relationship to Christian ethics, and that is a major part of my acceptance of what the more asshole inclined atheist might term \"magic\". \n\nLastly, there was an experience I had. I will not share it (it's insanely personal), and even if I were willing, I'm not sure the words exist. This was not the tipping point towards Christianity specifically (but it did convince me to retain the belief in the Abrahamic God), but it was a convincing factor in me not abandoning faith when I hit that point in my life. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I was raised Presbyterian. I was more or less agnostic my whole life and I dabbled with atheism briefly. I'm now an Orthodox catechumen.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I might qualify for that. However, I'd like to say at the start that I think I tend to react against the majority opinion of whatever community I am a part of in order to distinguish myself. I recognize this now, but I it worked subconsciously when I was in high school and for a while in college.\n\nSo, I was raised Presbyterian and never thought much about it until high school when I went to a school where most people were kneejerk Christians. I eventually distinguished myself/rebelled by becoming agnostic, arguing that no one could possibly know for sure whether or not there was a god.\n\nIn college, I read Hume, and I realized that we live life without being logically sure of anything...whether our next footstep will meet solid ground or go through the pavement, whether there are other people, whether other people love us, etc. But such things seem reasonable even though I can't be logically sure of them. So, I began to reexamine the question of God and ended up joining the Catholic church.\n\nIn the past two years, I've been to church maybe once, and I'm not really sure where I stand. I'm stuck between the fact that Christ's example challenges me to be a better person and the problem that many of the reasons I returned to Christianity were problematic (e.g. wanting to be more right than everyone else, a sort of pathological need to be right about the decisions I made in life rather than exploring life for myself). I also have a major unresolved philosophical question about God that's stumped me for a while.\n\nAnyway...I'm tipsy and that's all pretty confessional, and I'm not sure if it would be meaningful for anyone else, so I'll leave it there. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Want to model, but where do I start? | I'm 22, 5'11", size 4/6. I live about 5 hours from NYC. Physically I just need to tone up a bit. I've always been told to model, and I've always been interested in it. I don't know where to start, and I don't want to get scammed. Help?
EDIT: Here's a photo from 2008 I had on my computer - http://imgur.com/nHp36.jpg
Since then my face is slimmer & hair is shorter. Kinda miss the long hair =\
EDIT: I took this yesterday. My face is not this pink, just distorted coloring on the photo. http://imgur.com/gTkru.jpg | 11 | [
{
"body": "DO NOT PAY TO HAVE PICTURES TAKEN.\n\n\nie portfolio shoots. etc.\n\neven if it sounds like a good idea.\ni.e. pay a skilled artisan's time to give you a basic portfolio.\n\nusually this kind of exploitative scum is no good at photography anyway. so you wont learn or gain anything.\n\nif you have any kind of future not taking off clothes in front of the camera, photographers who can afford to spend some time iwth you trying some good work will gladly do so.\n\nmaybe you are not quite right for runway haute couture but that is 5% of the fashion modelling industry.\n\ni would PM the moderators of r/photography for recomemndations of who to ask todo time for CD in the NY area.",
"score": 7
}
] |
Best way to teach myself math? | I have a lot of free time on my hands, and I figured that I should learn some math. The only math I had in college was stats, and the furthest I ever went in high school was precal. What do you guys think is the best way to do this, and what would be the best place to start? I just tried going through a precal textbook, but I lost motivation pretty quickly... | 13 | [
{
"body": "First of all, awesome. Math is pretty nifty.\n\nThere are a couple of ways to approach mathematics. I started off being amazed at its utility to explain the world around us, primarily in the realm of physics. When I took my first mechanics class (before I took anything beyond precal), I was frustrated at the lack of meaning of the equations and reach. I remember one time I was trying to model a 2 body system with just gravity (say the Earth and the Moon) using just your usual F=ma, Newton's gravitational formula, and so on. I was trying to come up with a way to model the moon's orbit over time. Now, if the force (and hence acceleration) had been constant I would have been fine, but as the moon moved, the gravitational force on it changed. So I thought to myself: maybe if I only let the moon vary in an very small increment, the force will change by a corresponding small incrememnt and there may be a way to model it that way. Little did I know, I was beginning to think in a calculus-oriented way and when I later studied differential equations, I suddenly had my answer. Surely many things must be like this I thought. If there's something out there I want to understand, mathematics must be its language. So in this sense, mathematics is a means to an end. \n\nBut as I moved on, I began to realize the intrinsic beauty of mathematics. I was awed of how such elegance can arise out of a system with purely logical rules. This was when I began to question the reason behind the mathematics -- that is the mathematics behind the mathematics. I began to become interested in proofs and in my opinion this is where mathematics really shines. \n\nYou see, in mathematics, there is no grey area. You are either right, or you are wrong. Maybe you were on the right path to being right, but regardless, you are still wrong. Now, some might thing this means math is uncreative, a large puzzle with only one right solution. This is not true. Even in the most simplest of cases, even if there is one right answer, there are many ways to arrive at that answer. For example, I can prove to you that (a+b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2 either geometrically or algebraically. The Pythagorean theorem has [many proofs.](http://www.cut-the-knot.org/pythagoras/index.shtml) \n\nYou are allowed to be creative coming up with the answer, but there is still only one right answer. This makes math exceptionally powerful as well as fun. I shifted from learning math to understand the cosmos to learning about the inner workings of mathematics. To me, that is the most interesting and fun. I do however, still like to learn about applications such as in Quantum Mechanics. \n\nIt's so fun to just play around with. To me, mathematics is a logical system that you can push and pull, but you can't break. And it's a lot of fun to do that pushing and pulling. One of the best things I did to cement new material I learned was to just play with it and see how far I could take it. \n\nBut there's no reason you have to choose one over the other. It's important to have a goal to work towards as well as making sure you understand what's going on in the present. \n\nSo choose something you want to understand. It could be something purely mathematical. Maybe you want to understand what a fractal is and how to construct them. Maybe you want to understand why there are an infinite number of prime numbers. Or it could be something else entirely. Perhaps you want to understand some subset of modern physics. I promise you you will need mathematics. Make that your goal so you know what path to take to reach it. You'll find that on your way you'll choose more and more other goals as interesting topics become more accessible.\n\nOnce you get that start working. Take classes, read textbooks, watch lectures online, and so on. If you need some sources for online lectures, Khan Academy is recommended around here for stuff more on your level, but as you go up, you'll want to reach out to university lectures from sources like [MIT OCW](http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm) or google video.\n\nAs you work, don't just memorize. You have to get down and get your hands dirty. To quote James Munkres:\n \"Working problems is a crucial part of mathematics. No one can learn [mathematics] merely by poring over the definitions, theorems, and examples that are worked out in the text. One must work it out for oneself. To prove that opportunity is the purpose of the exercises.\" (Topology 2ed, xv)\n\nNow, understanding how to use the math you've just learned is one thing, but now you have to understand where it came from. At the very least, understand the mathematical basis for it. Formulas and theorems don't come out of air; they have reasons behind them. If you really want to be a great student, check out some of the history as well. It's pretty interesting.\n\nSo don't memorize; understand. I tutor mathematics and this was definitely was one of the major problems people had when they came to me. When we worked through that, everything was a lot better.\n\nAnother thing that came up in my tutoring was students didn't understand what a function is. Learn the definition, but also learn how to think about it intuitively (this is a skill you will need later as well). Think about it as a mapping between sets, as a machine that operates on elements, and so on. Practice thinking about it abstractly. Think about what exactly the first set is and what kind of set it outputs. \n\nOnce you understand your definitions and theorems, you can work the examples and everything will make a lot of sense. But you want to not only look at examples, but also look at counterexamples. Counterexamples are very powerful in mathematics (for you see, no matter how many examples you have that a theorem is might be right, it only takes one counterexample to bring it all down).\n\nWhich reminds me, you might want to look at some beginning logic and proof techniques. Read about what constitutes a valid proof and how to write proofs. Read about the different techniques (direct, contradiction, contrapositive, combinatorial, etc) and get used to them. When you approach proofs, sometimes you can feel which kind of technique you need to use.\n\nBut back to examples. Make your own up! This is where the push and pull comes in again. See what you can make your theorem work with. That truly for me was the best way to understand. \n\nNow, in mathematics, if you get stuck, don't skip it. That tends to snowball and before you know it you have to regress back a lot because you missed some fact. \n\nAnd finally, as for equipment, mathematics is awesome because its laboratory is entirely contained in your head as well as a piece of paper and pencil in front of you. That's all you need to experiment. Carry paper around with you. Embrace the mathematical world and try to keep it in the back of your mind. Inspiration sometimes hits in the oddest of places and if you have that paper you are set. I carry around a small leather bound notebook (not unlike a moleskin notebook) for such purposes. \n\nBefore spending money on anything, look around online. There are many sources to be had for free, and other awesome ones for cheap (check out the dover books). Sometimes though, you just can't make that sacrifice and there's a classic book you need but it's $150. You could find a scan online if you looked hard enough, but I always liked to just go the library so I would have the book in front of me. I always learned better this way, but that could be a personal preference. \n\nFinally, don't be discouraged. Math is hard, but it's also very rewarding. It's normal to be stuck on a problem for days if not longer. It took Andrew Wiles 9 years to complete his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem and he even had to start over because he made a very fundamental mistake 7 years into it. One of my professors once said that math is best done in front of a window with a cup of coffee and I completely agree. \n\nOne last thing, find people who like math as well and befriend them. Mathematics is definitely a team sport. \n\n-------\n\nI forgot! Book suggestions. I love [What is Mathematics by Richard Courant](http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Elementary-Approach-Ideas-Methods/dp/0195105192). This is a great overview of a lot of the more fundamental mathematics and it helps you start getting into the beauty of it. It'll take you back down to the basics and rebuild you back up with a greater appreciation of mathematics.\n\nIf you are at all interested in modern physics, [The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose](http://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-Universe/dp/0679454438) is awesome. Think of it as a quick overview of a lot of modern physics and the mathematics related for it. Use it as a way of setting a goal like I said. Do you want to understand string theory? Well the book has overview of the math for it, which you can then go to more dedicated sources to learn it well. \n\nFor history, I've heard [this](http://www.amazon.com/Journey-through-Genius-Theorems-Mathematics/dp/014014739X/ref=pd_sim_b_2) and [this](http://www.amazon.com/Quantity-Real-Imaginary-History-Algebra/dp/030909657X) recommended a lot. \n\nIt's nice to have a small whiteboard to do small problems with since you can have it at your table. I have a few small 1 ft x 1 ft pieces that I got online for a few bucks.\n\nAnother great way to cement understanding is to explain it to others. I've found that's the best way to find holes in your reasoning or understanding. I firmly believe if you can't explain it to someone else, you don't understand it.\n\nOne last tip, I promise! Try to jump around some. You'll find all different branches of mathematics are linked and it's cool to see the connections. ",
"score": 17
}
] |
I'm a first time renter in need of advice, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Any apartment dwellers out there care to share their wisdom with us noobs? | So far I've been looking mostly for the best priced place I can get right now, and I don't just mean the cheapest. A good balance between standard of living and cost of living is important. I don't NEED a dishwasher, but it would be nice if it was the same price as not having one somewhere else, and the same goes for the on-property washer/dryer. You guys know what I mean I'm sure.
I was just hoping some of you who have been through this would be able to help us first-timers on what traps to look for and how to spot a good deal. For example: I thought I found a great place that only made me pay electric, but then I found out that the heater and stove are both electric powered. I was told the average monthly electric bill was around $200, so there goes that deal.
Gyms and pools are nice if the place is the same price as somewhere without them, but are they worth the $$ if I have to pay more? Anybody out there with/without them want/not want these things for any reason? The average price around where I am looking is somewhere in the $850-900 range for a 1BR place. Some have been as low as $725 without the washers and dishwasher type amenities. What is worth paying for r/frugal? And how can I spot a rip-off?
EDIT: You guys are the best. I knew I was asking the right people about this. My first meetings with the managers are scheduled for tomorrow. Hitting up for places that I liked online, and now I feel totally sure that I'll know what to look for when I get there. Thanks!! | 46 | [
{
"body": "Take pictures of EVERY LITTLE scratch, stain, encleaned and nasty thing. We moved into an apt that was recently excited by a friend of the rental office(everyone loved him). They cleaned it up a little but we forgot to look in the window wells/tracks for dirt, blinds that were not spotless and a few other things. I spent 14 hours cleaning that apt to get it where they wanted it (I needed the money form the deposit).",
"score": 38
},
{
"body": "If you can get an apartment on a middle floor, you can usually survive without any heat at all in the winter, due to the radiant heat from apartments around you.",
"score": 27
},
{
"body": "READ THE CONTRACT.\n\nif the promise you something and it is not in the contract MAKE SURE IT IS ON THERE BY EITHER AN ADDENDUM OR SOMETHING ELSE. \n\nIf they promise to take something away, MAKE SURE THE CONTRACT SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT AS SO. \n\nfor example, if you are moving in and they promise you no deposits, MAKE SURE THE CONTRACT STATES THAT NO DEPOSITS WILL BE ASKED FOR. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN NEW MANAGEMENT WILL COME IN AND START ASKING PEOPLE FOR DEPOSITS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PAID. SO MAKE SURE YOUR CONTRACT STATES THAT ANY CHANGES THAT YOU ARE BEING PROMISED.",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "It's better to have a cool apartment in a shitty neighborhood than a shitty apartment in a nice neighborhood. Look in working class spanish speaking neighborhoods. Even if it seems run down, usually everyone is working two jobs, respectful, there's good cheap food, and the crime is pretty low for the rent. ",
"score": 15
},
{
"body": "Get renters insurance. Call your auto insurance rep, and add it on. Could save you if anything goes wrong or worse case scenario, you get broken into.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "In my experience, here are things you should ask:\n\n1) How thick are the walls? You don't want to hear your neighbor's \"agreeing with God\" before bed every night. If you can hear someone walking up the stairs or cars going by during the viewing - skip it.\n\n2) Washer & Dryer is a must have (for me). It's worth the extra dough, but you could give priority to those apartments with the W/D over a pool or gym. \n\n3) If energy cost is a concern, get a middle floor apartment. Heat rises in winter so you'll stay warm w/out using much electricity/gas. In summer, a cool apartment above you will help insulate you from the sun's rays. \n\n4) A gym is a nice to have option, but most of them usually have 2 or 3 treadmills, a nautilus setup, and maybe a rack of dumbbells. So if you're a serious gym rat, it's probably not worth the extra expense since you'll still go to a real gym anyway. Pools really aren't worth the expense either unless you use them. I think I might have used mine 10 times in 5 months of decent weather.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "> $850-900 range for a 1BR place\n\nMan, New York has really twisted my idea of \"affordable.\"\n\nI'd say you should really write out a list of the things you REALLY HATE doing and see if things like laundry and dishes compare. I've had dishwashers before but because it was mainly me, two cats, and sometimes a roommate, I never used them.\n\nA washer and dryer would have been nice, but it never really bothered me to have to take a book to the laundromat when it was time to do laundry. It was a nice break from routine. A communal laundry room is a very nice thing to have in lieu of a laundromat. I suppose it also depends on how picky you are about cleaning your clothes and if you have any irrational fears about having your clothes in a washer/dryer after someone you don't know has used it (I've met people like this... it's... yeah).\n\nFor me location has always been a big factor. I like to live near public transportation (I no longer have a car, way too expensive in Manhattan unless you really really need it). I also like to be in more popular areas, so my motivation is probably different than most people here. Not needing a car is a HUGE plus to me. Some people really love their cars or just love driving, so it's not for everyone.\n\nI never understood the appeal of having a gym in the building. To me building gyms are always sub-par and not really worth it. I'd rather join a gym, preferably one with a contract I can end when I feel like it. That said, if all you do is run on a treadmill for 30 minutes a few times a week a building gym will probably work for you and it could save you money. I'm not sure how you'd tell though, it's not like they itemize your rent. \n\nAside from what's been mentioned here most of what I know is a little specific to New York and Manhattan. There's a lot of crazy laws to worry about in NYC which are almost unheard of (or just never enforced) elsewhere. Knowing your landlord is a good thing though. It's no fun to have a faceless housing conglomerate as your landlord.\n\nGood luck! Apartment hunting is fun but it can also be a huge pain in the ass. I'm sure you'll find something that works.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "$200 a month for electric? Yikes! I'm on all electric in St. Louis and only pay around $50 a month.\n\nI've never used our pool or gym, despite convincing myself that I would.\n\nWatch for if they make you stay in some sort of lease. i.e. you fulfill the 1st year, and they either make you sign again, or pay more per month. I'm battling this currently.\n\nMy complex also makes me pay water/sewer/trash, that's another $25 a month.\n\nI have washer/dryer hookups in the apartment and wouldn't trade it for the world.\n\nA lot of places (at least in STL) will give you a first month free, or some sort of deal to get you to sign. At least ask.\n\nOh, and read your lease like you were signing your soul to the devil, ask questions if you don't know. A lot of complexes might not realize this is your first place and might \"neglect\" to mention certain things.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "I'm new to /r/frugal, so apologies if anything I say isn't on topic.\n\nI'm in my third year of renting (college student), and here's some tips that I've found: \n\n-Gas utilities are wonderful. I live in LA, so electric is tiered and brutal, making our 3 person apt run about $130/mo. We have gas for water, the stove, and heating, and last month was the highest to date, at $16. \n\n-When you move in, photograph in as much detail as possible every single minor blemish, carpet stain, ceiling mark, old pinhole, scuff, dent, paint chip, etc. It might take a couple of hours, but it's absolutely worth it. I got hit with a $350 charge for a tiny burn mark in the carpet that already existed prior to my first month of renting. If I had taken a photo, it could have all been avoided.\n\n-Even though laundromats are pretty brutal, I still definitely prefer a community washer/dryer. The cycles are only about an hour each and it's not hard to start a load, go back to your apt and read or watch a bit of tv, and then get back just in time to see it finish. Larger apartments tend to have one small laundromat per floor and smaller communities will have one large laundromat in a common area. Either way, it's almost never crowded, especially if you do your laundry on say, Wednesday afternoons, instead of Sunday nights. Yes, it'll cost about $2.25 ($1.00 wash, $1.25 dry) per load, but that's also a huge amount of water and electricity that doesn't end up on your bill, not to mention the initial cost of purchasing a machine. \n\n-Dishwashers. I think it's better to have them than not. If you're living in a 1BR then I can see how it might work out without one, but if you have roommates, dishes accumulate quickly and it's much easier and more time-efficient to give everything a quick wash and throw it in the dishwasher. If you're good about rinsing everything immediately after meals, you can clean everything to spotless on the shortest dishwasher cycles. \n\n-When worrying about your electric bills, focus first on your A/C, and any televisions or computers. The computers and TV in our apt run at 300-700W, the fridge at 800W, the A/C at 900W. Light bulbs are 10W at the most (the new energy savers. CFLs i think?)\n\n-Become good friends with your landlord/manager. Pay your rent on time, make small talk, and avoid noise complaints. My landlord adores me, and as a result we exist in almost complete autonomy from the rest of the apartment, which is pretty great, because my roommates have some less-than-legal habits. (like I said, college students). I talked with my formerly-pregnant landlord for half an hour about what color she wanted her kid's eyes to be once, and all of our work orders were bumped to top priority for two years. \n\n-Unless it gets really, *really* bad, don't call the cops on your neighbors for noise. They *will* find out, and they *will* make your life a living hell. It's always better to confront them and ask them to turn it down, or at least scream out your window in their general direction. Passive-aggressiveness will just make things worse.\n\n-Try to figure out what kind of people live in your apartment community. If it's purely students, you're gonna hear a lot of parties and step over a lot of puke in the halls. I just moved to a place with more families than students, and although we have to be quietier, you have no idea how much better it is to hear dogs barking and kids laughing versues unending bass beats through the ceiling and walls. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Get an upstairs outside corner apt. It's quieter and people walking by can't look/break in unless they come in the front door.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "in my experience as a renter:\n - i never used any pool or gym at my apartment complex. i was never into laying by the pool in the summer and when i got serious about working out i joined a quality gym with everything i needed. the 'gyms' at most of these places are dismal at best, and certainly not a huge advantage.\n\n- never expect a full security deposit back. i always kept my place spotless and i always had at least $50 knocked off of my deposit return for things like burner drip pans, lightbulbs, etc. they will always find a way to screw you out of a few bucks. know what they expect of you when you're leaving for good. once apartment complex i lived in required a 'professional cleaning service' to clean our carpets before we could get our deposit back...that was about $100.\n\n- diswashers, washers, dryers, etc. that are included in the apartment would be HUGE to me. i always hated lugging around my laundry one or two days a week through rain, snow, and muggy days. it usually set me back about $6-$8/week to do laundry or about $400/year, not to mention the wasted time. if the added cost of rent isn't worth it to you then forget it, but it was a big selling point for me i just couldn't afford it.\n\n- i always preferred a bottom floor if possible. i was always lucky with neighbors that weren't very noisy though. moving to/from an apartment on an upper floor can be a nightmare. \n\n- i always found that complexes close (within a few miles) to universities or large hospitals had competitive prices and generally great complexes. my concern around hospitals was the frequent screaming of ambulances so i usually found apartments close to local colleges.\n\n- choose your roommates wisely. a bad roommate can mean hell and added costs if they damage the property, pay rent late, etc.\n\n- a complex with available storage was always a big plus, especially in a 1BR. if i tried to fit everything i owned into a 1BR i inevitably ended up a little cramped, or at least out of closet space. sometimes all you have to do is ask and they'll hook you up with a lockable storage space for free.\n\n- parking. parking was important to me. some places have assigned parking close to your unit, others say you're on your own, and if you're super lucky you'll get a carport. parking may not be a deal-breaker by itself but if you're torn between apartments A and B it might help you make a decision.\n\n- i found through experience that saving $100/mo by living farther from work/school often bit me in the ass because i spent more than that in extra gas and vehicle maintenance. where i live mass transit is limited and i had to use my own vehicle at my job so i HAD to drive. if you can use mass transit this shouldn't be an issue.\n\n- proximity to the things you have in your life. whether you have a gym you go to, you're fav bar (maybe you want to stay far away from that), your girl/boyfriend, work, school, family etc. consider how close you are to these things and it will help make your choices a little easier. for me, nothing was worse than a long drive to work or the gym so i picked a pretty central spot close to both.\n\n- i'll add more if i think of them.\n\ngood luck.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Finding a roommate would probably be a boon for you. Living alone is expensive and you could probably get a better place if you have someone to go in with. You just have to make sure that you're on the same page as far as cleaning, noise, people over and whatever else. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I have rented forever and here's a good rule of thumb...your expenses for living in the apartment are generally 1/3 of the rent. When you factor in everything that comes up, cable included, it's about that for a guy living alone. Get central air, you will save on your electric over a window unit. I think top floor is best so you don't hear anybody walking around early in morning for work, but then you have to lug groceries all the way upstairs. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "If you depend on public transportation to get around, factor in proximity - how close is the grocery store? laundromat (if you don't have one in the building)? how close is your transit stop? I wish I had thought about the location of my grocery store - I have to take two buses, and can only buy as much as I can carry.\n\nKnow your rent laws - is the landlord legally allowed to take a damage deposit? (I've gotten taken on that one... gave him the money and then found out later he wasn't legally allowed to ask for it).\n\nAs for traps - watch out for older buildings too. I live in a building that is over 100 years old, so we constantly are running into issues: plumbing, hot water not being hot, mice, uneven heating (the place is NOT well insulated - thank goodness I don't pay heat), outlets that don't work, doors that don't lock, creaky floors, no sound barriers between us and the other apartments, windows that don't shut... yeah - old buildings can be nice, but be careful (I put up with it because the troubles may be inconvenient, but my landlord stays on top of them and I don't pay water or heat... and it's CHEAP).\n\nIs it worth it to have laundry in house? Depends on what kind of laundry and how much more it ends up costing you. If you have coin laundry in building, you have to weigh the cost of your time to go somewhere else to do laundry. If you have free laundry facilities, factor in how much you would spend on coin laundry AND your time to go somewhere else. Personally, I have to have laundry in-building (coin or otherwise), but it's essentially your call. If you do a lot of laundry it could be worthwhile to go out of the way to get a place with laundry facilities. Same goes for a gym/pool/any other amenities.\n\nGood luck!",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Location, location, location. I have lived in some very sketchy neighborhoods because of low prices. Don't do it.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I'm in Boston, and I have found that the single most important variable determining price is location. Anything in a pretty, gentrified, boutique-y neighborhood near public transportation is going to cost loads more. If you have a car and don't need the train, get a place that's a little farther away. Likewise, sketchy neighborhoods are cheap and usually not as sketchy as your mom thinks.\n\nAlso, I've always rented apartments in multi-family houses because:\n1. It's usually cheaper than living in a high-rise.\n2. more things are negotiable because your landlord is an actual person instead of a nameless, faceless corporation. (this can also backfire, if your person-landlord turns out to be dishonest or crazy. I've had both)\n3. It limits the potentially obnoxious neighbors you may end up with because there are usually fewer units per building. \n4. These apartments are just more charming in general. High-rises always smell like fifteen different dinners. Gross.\n\nAnother thing that is REALLY good at saving you money, if you can tolerate it, is living with roommates. Typically the more bedrooms a place has, the cheaper it is per roommate. You save by splitting the bills, too. If you can get 3 or 4 people together, you can rent a single family house, which is the best by far, in my experience. If you go this route, only do it with people you know. Craigslist is probably not the best option for finding people with whom to enter into a year-long contractual obligation.\n\nIf you end up living alone, be conservative about how much rent you think you can afford. Some of my coworkers spend $850-900 on studios with heat *included* (that's a big deal), they have real jobs, and still have difficulty making ends meet. You want to go out for a beer once in a while, right?\n\n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Buy good ear plugs. You will need them. Don't rent a bottom unit unless you own a piano. Look below before you leak off the balcony at 2 a.m.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "It's sad that no one bothered to ask about the noob's lifestyle at all... you can't give advice until you know if the guy sleeps late, hates noise, doesn't mind noise, has kids, or doesn't, cook a lot, never cooks, is large, or has a large amount of books, or what.\n\nMy advice is to prepare a list of things you must have, must not have, and \"meh\"-type stuff. Then as you look at places, make a checklist. Take pictures. Visit your top three choices a second time, at a different time of day than the first visit. \n\nAnd one anecdote: I got my family into a $3k/mo brooklyn brownstone for only $2k/mo just by saying, \"We can't afford $3000, but I'm nice, my wife is nice, my kids are smart and well-behaved, and we will take good care of your home (while she was away in the middle east for a year) adn not cause you any problems.\" She had other buyers -- stockbrokery types I suppose -- but they were all twats I guess, because she preferred losing $1000/mo and saving on headaches.\n\n^_^",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Try and rent directly from the owner. Think garage apartment here. They will usually let you do more in the way of decorating. Also, if something should happen money wise and you find yourself a little short one month they are more willing to work with you to fix the situation. The only drawback with this is if something in the apartment breaks, like the fridge. It may take a bit longer to get it repaired/replaced.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Remember that all estate agents (realtors? I don't know what you call agents that handle rentals in the US, I'm British) are absolute cunts. Don't believe a word out of their mouths and read everything they want you to sign very carefully. And as another commenter said, take photos of everything in the place and make sure that you are clear on the status of white goods like the fridge, washing machine, etc. In the UK at least, white goods are often offered as \"luxury\" items which means that if they break then the agent does not have to fix them, you do.\n\nIf agents are wankers then landlords are often just plain mental - you might get a cheaper price going direct but you run a high risk of them being certifiable.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Look for weather stripping. Shun french doors. The shower is more important than you think, make sure the windows all open, make sure the windows all *lock*, meet the neighbors, if you have a garage, make sure the doors lock and stay locked (and go all the way to the ground), if there's an alarm system, make sure you change the codes...\n\nThese are all things that bit me on the ass during the lease I'm still currently on.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I rented for years in a small college town.\n\n* Photograph, or better yet make a video of everything in the apartment BEFORE YOU MOVE ANYTHING INTO IT. Make sure it's dated. Maybe make two copies, keeping one and giving other to landlord? Send a letter noting anything that was damaged or worn.\n\n* I was a smoker and a toker back in the day, so I wanted privacy. For me, the two worst types of landlords were 1) the ones who were NEVER around or who NEVER did anything and 2) the ones who were almost ALWAYS around and way too anal about their property. I shot for the happy medium: a landlord/manager who could be found if needed, but who wasn't pokin' their ass into everything all the time. A bit of mild neglect (hall carpets not recently vacuumed, but lawn is mowed, for example) to the property was usually a good sign of this, but beware the Hell Holes that come with too much neglect.\n\n* Upper floor apartments tend to be warmer. This is great in the winter, but sucks in the summer. Basements tend to be colder. This is great in the summer, but sucks in the winter.\n\n* ALWAYS make sure that the controls for your heat/cooling are IN YOUR APARTMENT. If there are multiple units in one building with central heating/air, and the thermostat/controls aren't in your unit, you will suffer at some point. This is usually only a problem in places that were once a single family dwelling, not apartment complexes. This should be a deal breaker. NEVER allow your climate to be controlled by a neighbor.\n\n* If it's not in the contract, it isn't real. Nobody's word is good when it comes to business. Get it in writing, and make sure you know what you're getting into.\n\n* Make friends with the landlord/manager. Pay your rent on time, or a little early, and you'll be golden.\n\n* If you have a car or receive visitors, make sure you're clear on the parking situation.\n\nThose are the big things that I can remember, but it has been a few years since I paid rent.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "- Get an idea of the average utilities for the unit. I learned that the hard way with a $850 utility bill and 30 degree living room, all winter. \r\n\r\n- Never pay late.\r\n\r\n- Don't pay the pet deposit.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Reddit Bloodline: Year 9 | I've been playing DF for about a year now, and I still consider myself somewhat of a newb. This is my first time playing someone else's game, and I'm going to try and do updates. | 15 | [
{
"body": "I arrive at Mistemog Os one chilly spring morning. Taffaz has only recently departed, and I can hear the dwarves lamenting his departure as they size me up suspiciously. Likot Geshudsacat of the Royal Guard escorted me to Duke Mestthos Ustuthlerom's chambers, where we exchanged pleasantries and he happily bragged about his artifacts. I requested a meeting with the philosopher Ducim Mosussarek, whom I'd heard about even from afar. Ducim met with me and appraised me of the situation at Mistemog Os, the recent goings on, and I laid out my vision for the coming year.\r\n\r\nA monumental cathedral of enormous proportions. Rows of golden pews, platinum aisles, green glass windows, recesses in the wall for unique artifacts, and a vaulted ceiling hovering over 10 levels above the ground floor. A mausoleum underneath to house fallen heroes. Ducim introduced me to the mason Fikod, who took me on a tour through this new and strange place. We chose a suitable site and dug in. The miners toil, seemingly inspired, but only time will tell if this project is feasible, I know it may be years before it is completed, and I may not even be here, but I hope that future leaders will take up the torch.\r\n\r\nI've had to temporarily suspend mining in the depths to allocate miners for this new mega project.\r\n\r\n2nd Granite 209\r\n\r\nA thief tried to make off with some of our goods, and we dispatched him.\r\n\r\n3rd Granite 209\r\n\r\nA foolish builder defaced a 'Loganis' Sarvesham. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the incompetence of my charges, but I tarry on.\r\n\r\n4th Granite 209\r\n\r\nThe cook Tekkud Mengezum has retired to the incoming King's throne room and is sitting in the King's Throne with some plump helmet spawn, turtle shell and bones, wild strawberry seeds, rainbow trout bones, and a pig tail cap. If he spills anything on that throne, the king is going to be very upset when he gets home. Tekkud's only company is the stray rhesus macaque chained behind him, wailing. The room is sparsely decorated, but the floor is brilliantly detailed, if not a little terrifying. Glowing red dwarf eyes.\r\n\r\nProgress on the cathedral is slow. The miners have taken to vomiting all over the slopes near the third layer.\r\n\r\nTekkud left his scraps all over the place in the throne room, he's grounded for sure.\r\n\r\nI'm still trying to orient myself in this crazy place. It's a real palimpsest of design, each leader has left his mark in the design, or sprawl of the fortress. And I'm busily making mine.\r\n\r\n9th Granite\r\n\r\nMosus Ilidasob is the proud father of a little baby girl. It happened while he was sparring in the barracks. When he heard the news he threw down his sword and quickly began seeking infant.\r\n\r\nSome annoying elven diplomat showed up. I guess I'll have to go through the motions and politely entertain. If he thinks I'm buying any of his crap tree hugging goods he's deluded.\r\n\r\n11th Granite\r\n\r\nOne floor of the cathedral has been mined, work continues on the others. Soon I will have to begin constructing the scaffolding that will let my miners reach the heights they'll need to.\r\n\r\n12th Granite\r\n\r\nThat obnoxious elven diplomat had the gall to request that we cap our tree felling at 100 till we next meet. I told him where could stuff it, I anticipate that I will need many many logs for the vaults in the cathedrals ceiling that will support the andesite roof. I hope this decision doesn't come back to haunt me.\r\n\r\n13th Granite\r\n\r\nI've taken up work on a previously abandoned wing of bedrooms. Clearing the boulders out of there ought to take a while, but soon we'll have more rooms for our dwarves. They're a bit cramped, but still. I noticed that one of our magma glass furnaces was cluttered so set up a glass window stockpile nearby. I anticipate needing many windows for the cathedral walls.\r\n\r\nAn ambush! Curse them! Tun Kododdom has been taken by surprise while out on a jaunt beyond the fortress's defences, actually quite near the fourth layer of the cathedral, where work is underway. I've called my dwarves inside, they're well armed and had no trouble eliminating poor Tun, A nearby human has gotten into the mix. The heartless goblins have taken the life of a stray cat in their pursuit of this brave human bowman. There is apparently no limit to their cruelty. I've called out both military squads. The andesite floors near the main entrance are slick with green Dwarf vomit, my miners huddle in fear and await aid. I'm not quite sure how to proceed with my defense. The goblins have taken the life of a child, now there will be hell to pay.\r\n\r\nA suicidal elven caravan arrived amidst all the carnage, maybe they will provide enough of a distraction to let my miner escape with his life.\r\n\r\n19th Granite\r\n\r\nThe ambush is over. We've emerged victorious, naturally. Now begins the work of recruitment and assigning a few new miners. The fallen will be the first to decorate the new mausoleum.\r\n",
"score": 11
}
] |
I know this is generally frowned upon; but, PS3ers please check out my friend's hand made Sackboys! | I don't want any karma for this - I just want to show off my friend's awesome knitting skills. She is currently unemployed and looking for ways to make money to bridge the gap. Believe it or not, selling one of them gets her a few weeks of food. Anyway, I won't beg. Just spreading the word in anyway that I can.
[Check it out](http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38070239) | 43 | [
{
"body": "Hi! I'm the person who makes the sackboys, thank you all for your feedback. To give you an idea of how long it takes me to make these, the head alone is 2176 stitches and takes me about 3-4 hours to make. I hope to get faster at it though so I can lower the price, but I refuse to sacrifice quality for that. Thank you all for the compliments though :)",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "They look fantastic. I just ordered one for my brother-in-law.\n\nI gotta say they do seem a bit pricey though. Are the materials really that costly or is the price marked up because they're labour/time-intensive to make?",
"score": 3
}
] |
So i just finished watching the Dark Knight for the billionth time which made me wonder what other sequels are better than the original? | I can think of maybe the Godfather 2 and Empire Strikes Back (IMO) but what other movies were better than the first? | 3 | [
{
"body": "Leprechaun 2, Highlander 2, American Psycho 2, Ghostbusters 2, The Matrix Reloaded, The Neverending Story 2, The next Karate Kid (the one with the girl), Teen Wolf 2, The Fly 2, Dirty Dancing 2, Speed 2:Cruise Control, Weekend at Bernies 2, Caddyshack 2, Blair Witch 2, The Mask 2, and finally, Troll 2.",
"score": 3
}
] |
protecting daughters from LDS indoctrination - any advice? | I joined the church in 1997, and I'm proud to say that my temple recommend expired in 2005. But this story is not without complications!
I have two amazing daughters (currently 10 and 6) who currently spend the school year with their BIC mormon mom. I've seen first-hand how the church manipulates women into a very subservient role (don't be ambitious, serve your husband, have lots of babies), and that's the last thing I want to happen to my two girls.
While I'm constantly fighting to be able to have them live with me for most of the year, I can only imagine what garbage they are being indoctrinated with on a weekly basis. Any thoughts on how to keep them from being utterly brainwashed while they're with her? | 5 | [
{
"body": "I saved a post on my blog, from Richard Packham at RfM, which itself is an amazing resource that may be able to help you out, it's the top site at the List of Ex-mormon forums on the sidebar.\n\nAnyway, [Here is a link](http://rfmorg.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/kids-and-skepticism/) to Richard's comments about situations like this, and here's a pullquote:\n\n>Do whatever you can to help them develop critical thinking skills. How to recognize propaganda, scams, fairy tales, tall tales, liars, etc., preferably using non-religious subject matter. Make sure they understand that being skeptical is a good thing. Children should be encouraged to ask “How do you know that?” They should be taught that even grown-ups can be mistaken, and they don’t need to blindly accept something just because a teacher or a parent says it.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "I don't know if your 10 year old is baptized, but if they try to baptize your 6 year old let them know they don't have your permission and legally they can't proceed. Don't let them have power over the kids like that.\n\nEight is way too young for a kid to make a decision like that.\n\nMeasure76 had some good advice. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Off the wall idea here...\nGo get some books about women who have done great things. Give them to your kids. Let them learn about being a successful female without the second class status...books are stupid powerful at that age.\n\nAnother thought: Provide them with a female role model who isn't in the Morg. I'm thinking Big Sisters, a female friend of yours, something like that. \n\nDon't fight the lie; you're playing the Morm's game. Instead, expose your children to reality. They're smarter than you think.",
"score": 3
}
] |
the hdd on my MBP goes apeshit when closing
certain programs. why? | when i quit certain applications (mostly adobe stuff) the whole system gets unresponsive for 5-10 seconds due to heavy hdd activity. activity monitor shows excessive read acces (40 MB/s or more) for several seconds and only a tiny bit of write acces directly after quitting said applications.
i would understand a bit of write acces, since i could have changed settings or whatever, but i really don't get why the os or the app would need to read hundreds of megabytes (40MB/s times an average of about 7 seconds would theoretically be 280 megabytes read data) off my harddisk.
does anybody have an idea why this might be happening?
oh... in case you need to know: it's a macbook pro 2.33 ghz, 2gb ram @ 667 mhz (yes, it's an older model with ati's radeon x1600) with osx 10.6.2 and its 160 gb hdd only has 18 gb free atm. | 6 | [
{
"body": "There's a few different reasons:\n\nMost likely reason is that the active program has filled your computer's RAM and caused inactive programs to get swapped out to disk. When you shut the program that has filled RAM, the other programs then need to be swapped back in again before you can use them.\n\nAnother reason is that some programs use lots of temporary files that need to be removed. Adobe programs are reknowned for using their own Virtual Memory style swap files that need to be cleaned up. So the thrashing of your hard disk may be file cleanup.\n\nA third reason is that a lot of settings files may get touched (updated) when a program closes. The metadata indexer then gets busy re-reading them all to see if anything has changed.\n\nDepending on the program you use regularly, 2GB is considered a small amount of RAM. More RAM will normally fix swapping problems but won't fix the metadata indexer or custom VM swap files issues.",
"score": 6
}
] |
I'm not necessarily suicidal, but I feel like I can't go on (long). | Never posted here before, and using a throwaway account because I'm so ashamed of how far down I am right now. The urge to kill myself is mostly gone, but there's still a voice in my head telling me how badly I've fucked up and that there's no way out. My problems seem ridiculous -- I know that, I can see that on the surface, and yet they feel crushing and insurmountable to me.
I just wrecked the best relationship I've ever been in. He broke up with me because of really pervasive anger problems on my part, not just one thing or a little thing. It's been getting bad for a while, and the worst part was I knew I was doing it -- I just thought maybe I'd be able to stop it the next time. I've yelled at him and snapped at him and just gotten really frustrated. We would fight, and he would tell me he was hurt, and I would apologize and try to fix it, and then it would flare up in a different way. It wasn't just that. I can be a really negative person; I denigrate people when I feel like they're better than me because I can't stand feeling lesser. I feel like a horrible person for letting it get to this point, especially when I loved him.
I know there are other guys out there, but I don't want other guys. I want this relationship back to a point where I could have fixed myself, made myself someone worth being with. He's everything I wanted and the damn thing is I thought we had a great relationship. I know I was screwing up but I thought we were on the same page -- I thought he was being patient while I fixed my problems. Maybe he would have been, but December was brutal. I just wish he'd given me more of a hint other than "this hurts me". But then I feel like the worst person ever, because what more do you need than that to stop hurting someone? :(
I want to fix this. Not just because I still cherish a hope of getting back together with him (and I do... even though I hate myself for it), or because I feel like I will never have a good, lasting relationship until I do (I do feel like that) but because I feel like I won't like myself until I do solve it. But I don't have the faintest clue where to start. I'm in therapy, and I thought it was helping, until we had a huge fight that made me start questioning everything.
I don't have a sob-story childhood. I felt controlled by my mother, and my father became verbally and physically abusive once I hit my teens (he doesn't like teenagers, so it's not like his behavior changed -- it was that I had become something he hated). I was in an abusive relationship with one of my teachers in high school. I tried to kill myself. I had an eating disorder. I cut myself. But I thought all this was getting better -- I was just barely starting to be able to tolerate myself, and actually look at my own behavior with a critical eye, and now this.
He's better off without me, I know, but I can't help but feel like maybe the world is better off without me. I don't have any friends here -- I moved to a new town recently for work and all my time has been taken up with this relationship. I don't even know what I'm looking for, just some comfort to help me make it through the night. I can't call my therapist because he's out of town, so I don't even have that support network. Please. I know I'm a jerk, I know I don't deserve to be in a positive or a healthy relationship, and I know I was a drain on this guy. But I feel so helpless and alone and scared and worthless. | 17 | [
{
"body": "You wouldn't happen to live near Austin, Texas would you? I'd be happy to treat you to coffee/dinner. I'm a good listener, I promise :)",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Please don't hate yourself like this. When you are able to like yourself again, you'll be in the right frame of mind for a new relationship, and you will make it work out fine.\n\n On the one hand you say you didn't have a bad childhood, and on the other describe things that would be hard for any teen to cope with. Be kind to the \"you\" from the past and forgive yourself a little, huh?",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "> I know I was screwing up but I thought we were on the same page -- **I thought he was being patient while I fixed my problems.** Maybe he would have been, but December was brutal. I just wish he'd given me more of a hint other than \"this hurts me\".\n\n\"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.\"\n— Marilyn Monroe\n\nA relationship beyond fun romance takes two working together. They are rare these days... where someone is truly your partner and willing to help you with your issues. People are pretty much trained by society to *run away* from problems... as if you can keep running to new people that will magically be problem-free (haha). So, generally, nobody really learns how to work together to resolve problems - they learn to run away.\n\nDon't run away from yourself, please. Deal with your own worst and earn your best out of it.\n\n> But I don't have the faintest clue where to start. \n\nIdeas, one person's: Forgive yourself. Realize that he gave up on you. Accept that makes him imperfect. Accept that you are imperfect. Learn to better manage imperfect (and openly discuss \"problem solving\" and imperfection) in your future relationships. Grow.\n\nDoes a song help? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyfcsjWfBvw\n\nOther redditors will have other ideas, that's how things work. Pick what you like, listen to them all, make your own choices. Live earnestly, but have fun... take it serious and *let your hair down*.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Let me see if I can break it down:\n\n1) your boyfriend left you\n\n2) you want him and not a new relationship\n\n3) you are verbally abusive to him\n\n4) you had a bad childhood and have unresolved psychological issues relating to it\n\n5) you live in a new town and have no friends, thus no comfort\n\n6) you are feeling alone and scared\n\nDid I get those correct?\n\nIt sounds to me like your therapist is not helping you much if you are abusive to the person you most care about.\n\nHere's my advice (I am a teacher and studied psychology in school. my family is a medical one and I grew up in hospitals and clinics):\n\n1. start an exercise program - starting with gentle walks of 1 to 2 miles a day (4 blocks or 8 blocks around if you live in a city), later you can upgrade to a gym membership\n\n2. change your diet: no refined white flour or sugar, no diet or energy drinks, no drugs or alcohol, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread, tofu, fresh seafood, etc.\n\n3. clean up your workspace: a clean, organized workspace can make you feel much better about yourself\n\n4. get a new therapist. you'll need a referral from your primary care doc. tell him/her the current one is not working out and you need someone more dynamic\n\n5. give yourself a break. you are very hard on yourself right now. take time to make some small changes\n\n6. don't worry now about your boyfriend. once he sees the good things you are doing to change your life around, he'll come back",
"score": 3
}
] |
Dear Reddit, Where's the best place you've been to for a boys trip? | I've been to many places with "just the boys" including boat cruises in the Pacific, Phuket and Pattaya in Thailand, the Gold Coast in Queensland Australia, just to name a few. Where would you rate as one of the best places to go for a boys trip away?
EDIT: I'm about to go back to Thailand next month and stop at a place called Angeles City in the Philippines on the way back. It's supposed to be filth...
EDIT: hmmm. Perhaps I should've written "men's trip". | 4 | [
{
"body": "Sheeeeit we poor country mice jus' likes to go fishin' and drankin' & campin' on the lakes & rivers here in the north woods. That's a \"boys' trip\" to us. Las Vegas maybe a few times in a lifetime. *shakes fist at you globetrotting, vaguely British-sounding chaps, with your Thai sex worker affiliation card membership bonus points and your cheap Ryanair flights to Ibiza*",
"score": 3
}
] |
Libertarian Health Care? | I noticed a lot of people suggest health savings accounts. Hasn't this proven to fail? Just another big gamble? A study by the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed the health savings accounts enacted in Singapore and found they had “caused financial hardship for Singapore’s citizens and…adversely affected the cost-effectiveness of its health care system.” kewise, in South Africa, which has “a decade’s worth of experience with similar consumer-driven health plans,” the cost of specialty care has increased 43 percent, the cost of hospital care is up 65 percent, and uninsured rates have “continued to grow rapidly.” | 9 | [
{
"body": "I despise the word, \"healthcare.\" It sounds like some kind of mongrel newspeak cobbled from redundant cognates.\n\nLegislatures certainly don't practice \"healthcare,\" nor do insurance companies. If you see a politician wielding a scalpel, the police will be contacting *you* for assistance. Call it what it is: medical finance reform. \n\nBut to answer your question, I think it is deplorable that the situation is bad enough that people accept even the federal government getting involved. Not all constitutionalists are libertarians, but surely a few constitutionalists and classical liberals find the idea of state or municipality run public health programs largely acceptable. State power is supposed to devolve downward, and lower levels are subject only to the more narrowly defined arbitration of higher bodies in a federalist system. From a civil liberties perspective, it is unfortunate that Americans are losing the ability to vote with their feet within the continental boundaries and even our exclaves. If you don't have any desire to be a part of the federal health system, you can no longer escape involvement in it.\n\nOne of the major drivers in cost is medical protectionism. If I find it preferable to visit whatever establishment I wish for medical treatment, I should be able to do so. If I feel the added cost of visiting a facility with a healthy regard for germ theory is simply a *luxury*, well that should be my right. \n\nIf I had the wherewithal to own and design a hospital system, I'd probably model it on any other Fordinized process, and completely eliminate general waiting areas. If the government didn't intercede, I could select high performance employees rather than be restricted to the small coterie of insiders with excessive generalist training to do mundane repetitive tasks. Lastly, I could eliminate swathes of paperwork by participating in industry-wide standards on coding for letting patients be responsible for their own digital records and privacy. Much of initial patient processing would be computerized, but flag certain keywords. Multipurpose operating rooms would be available for on-tap lease for boutique outfits for elective procedures.\n\nBut what do I know, I'm just some slob in the waiting room. I'm sure anybody with half a brain that works in any such environment could come up with better policies for saving money than the federal government without even trying. ",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "How Government Solved the Health Care Crisis\r\n\r\nMedical Insurance that Worked — Until Government \"Fixed\" It\r\n\r\nhttp://libertariannation.org/a/f12l3.html",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Libertarian Health Care Alternative:\n\n(Special note: Not my idea, heard it on the radio, don't know whose show or who said it).\n\nAny money you spend on healthcare is 100% tax deductible. Spend $500 on health care, deduct $500 on your taxes. Permanent deduction, not only for one year. Spend $1,000,000 on health care, you are paying no taxes until your lifetime taxes paid would have equalled $1,000,000.\n\nThis \"costs\" the government the exact same as paying for it outright (Less, really, because under this system, prices will go down, under the government system, they'll go up).\n\nBut it preserves personal choice, citizen control, etc.\n\nThe question now arises, what about the poor? The answer is: loans. If a bank knows a person is not going to pay taxes on this amount of money, no matter how long it takes him to earn it, it's a very, very, very safe loan risk. It's functionally the same as saying \"I will earn an extra $x over the span of my life.\" \n\nCharities could cover the rest.\n\nThere's a problem with this solution, though: It doesn't expand government power. It also doesn't provide a direct way for politicians to get better health care than the citizens.\n\n",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Health savings accounts would have nothing to do with the cost of health care, and if you had a health savings account you wouldn't need to be insured.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "What's wrong with the free market?\n\nSure, we don't have one, but given how utterly fucked up our health care system is, maybe the solution is less government interference, not more.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Well, no, actually. The existence of one study says Singapore's system causes financial hardship doesn't do anything to disprove the theory. Indeed, I don't think there's any system that doesn't cause financial hardship for some. Also, I don't think you'll find any libertarians arguing that the Harvard School of Public Health is an unbiased source. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Please Help An Old Man Entering College | I am a 34 year old male, married, 3 children 15-5-2. I recently enrolled into an accelerated bachelors program so I can get my degree for career advancement. I completed high school with ease but no education after that. This is an accelerated course and the demands are pretty high. I've created a calendar of what is due when and when I am going to do it. My problem is reading comprehension and good study skills. Does anyone have some good studying advice for this old man?
EDIT: Spelling | 5 | [
{
"body": "Buy lots of coffee. But for real, always maintain your spirit and whatever drives you to advance. Everytime you want to slack off, remember why your in college in the first place.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "College sophomore here. Was in the sciences now I am in humanities.\n\nMake sure you have a place where you can really focus and make a ritual such that when you go there you are already ready to focus and be very efficient. Try not to bring many distractions (for example your Laptop, cellphone, you get the idea) to wherever you decide to study. I don't know how tough your courses are but don't get behind and don't over work yourself. Notecards can be helpful. Try to save your digital work in two places (emailing to yourself is a good idea sometimes).",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Learn a few memorization techniques. For example, right before going to sleep is a good time to memorize stuff. One has to be relaxed or one can't remember anything.\r\n\r\nReading comprehension is just a matter of practice, I think. Read a lot. There are probably books that are related to your courses but are not as technical/difficult/boring as your textbooks -- find those.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Foreigner needs advice in American relationship | Hi, I'm from the eastern part of the globe and been living in the US for >6 years. Been dating a local girl for about 8 months. We're in our early 30s. Sadly I still don't completely get the local dating culture and maybe the girls here can help me out? Is it ok to propose marriage without first moving-in? We talk everyday and stay over at each other's place about 2-3 times a week. Things are in general going well (but every so often do seem to break down - that might be normal). Given that we already haven't moved in, would you say we are moving slow or fast (I sense some anxiety and pressure from her that I am not moving fast enough)? We have talked about the long-term - marriage and even kids, etc. so it's not out of nowhere. What other important things need to happen as we progress in the relationship? | 6 | [
{
"body": "Yes, it is okay to propose marriage without moving in. However, you might find it a good idea to spend a month or two under the same roof before you sign the license, just in case you can't stand the way she puts the TP or something. \n\nImportant things:\nHave you discussed finances? Will you open a joint account? What about retirement savings? If you buy a house/rent a place, who will contribute what to the monthly payments?\n\nHow about housework? This is why you might want to live together for a little while. Generally the more equal the share of housework the better the chances for the marriage (studies show more egalitarian marriages are happier marriages) so you might want to see if one of you is not pulling their weight.\nOther important talks to have if you haven't already:\n\n- Getting a pre-nup? Do you want one?\n\n- What if there's an unplanned pregnancy?\n\n- What if your job requires you to move far away? Is she okay with this?\n\n- Do you find it hard to come up with things to do together? If not then epic, if so you should try to work on this before getting hitched.\n\n- Are there specific behaviors that you each want the other to change? For instance, does she wish you spent less time on reddit? Do you wish she spent less time playing Everquest?\n\nI don't mean to put you off getting married but considering the boring/unpleasant parts beforehand will save you a lot of aggravation later on.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "A compromise on what everyone is saying is this: If you want to propose, propose, but plan on having the wedding at a later date. You can live with her while engaged. That seems backwards in thought compared to how a lot do it, but its an idea.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Help me figure out what book my mother-in-law is talking about | My mother-in-law saw a book she wanted to read at Barnes & Noble, but has no idea what is was called. This is all she knows:
"title something like the middletons by Matthews, it spans three wars about how the middle class survived the wars from the revolutionary war to civil and beyond. It was in the History Section , Us history"
Any ideas, reddit? | 4 | [
{
"body": "Could it be this?\n\n[Middling Folk: Three Seas, Three Centuries, One Scots-Irish Family](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Middling-Folk/Linda-H-Matthews/e/9781556529696/?itm=28)\n\nI just went to the Barnes & Noble site went to the US history section and put in Mathews in the search.\n\nEdit: I should have refreshed the page before submitting...",
"score": 9
}
] |
Dear Reddit, please help me turn this sea shell into a nice/meaningful gift | I picked this shell up off the beach on the day that my girlfriend and I officially became a couple, and I'd like to turn it into a nice gift for her birthday.
I've thought of different things like polishing/glazing it, writing/drawing something on it (difficult) or having it made into a keyring (kind of tacky), but I was hoping you guys could come up with better ideas.
Pics: [First](http://i.imgur.com/SpJdJ.jpg) / [Second](http://i.imgur.com/bGNwz.jpg) | 3 | [
{
"body": "If you're handy and can find someone who will help you do it right, you can always have it polished and then encased in clear acrylic resin and made into a paperweight or ornament. Kinda like [this dandelion](http://www.paperweightcentre.co.uk/enlarge.asp?id=84).",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "There's always framing it- do you happen to have a picture of that day to go with it? I personally like Sylveran's idea better though. :-)",
"score": 3
}
] |
how off the pace will the new teams be? | 2009 saw a closer field with very big rule changes. The 2010 cars will have similar aero features with the 09 teams having lots of track data. In the past the back of the pack has been very much off the pole pace. Will the new teams have a prayer to fight the mid pack in 2010? | 3 | [
{
"body": "If it is off, at least we'll have two racing groups to look at (09 and 10). As long as each group is individually close, I'll be happy.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I'm looking for beer recommendations... | I'm a hop-head. Lately I've been into Pale Ales and IPAs, anything with high IBUs. I also enjoy good stouts and porters. I'd love to hear what Reddit's favorites are.
I'm by no means a seasoned beer connoisseur, so feel free to suggest any style that I haven't mentioned. So far I'm not crazy about most brown ales, wheat beers or lagers (don't seem to care for the sweetness), but I'm open to any suggestions. Perhaps you could tell me what I should be looking for in a beer of that style and/or what you like about it. Thanks in advance for your responses! | 5 | [
{
"body": "It all depends on where you live. Being in the Northwest, the sheer abundance of beer is overwhelming. My two favorites thus far are:\n\nLagunitas, Hop Stoopid\n\nNinkasi, Tricerahops Double IPA\n\nboth are extremely good beers!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Yeti Imperial Stout - Great Divide Brewery\n\nNot for the faint of heart, this one is heavily hopped and bitter. It has strong coffee and chocolate flavors to accompany the hops. It has a great smooth rich mouth feel. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
I have a great idea for an iphone app but I don't know how to write a program. | Does anyone know what I can do to learn the great art of app making? I have a phenomenal idea and I don't know why it hasn't been made yet. I think it could make good money. | 7 | [
{
"body": "If you have disposable income to put down for it now, you'll need the $100 fee for the iPhone SDK package, an Apple computer (cheapest would be the Mac Mini, I think they go for $600?), and some time to learn Objective-C. This is one of the reasons I can't get in to iPhone/iPod Touch development; the prohibitively high costs. There are tool chains that can be used in a Windows environment, but the development fee still applies.\n\n\n\nIf you're interested in just creating a mobile app (i.e. it doesn't need to be iPhone-specific), you should look into the Android marketplace. The SDK is a free download, and the fee to host is $25. You also have a variety of languages you can choose from if you have previous coding experience (Java is easy to pick up!). Chances are higher that your idea won't exist in their marketplace, as the number of apps is also lower.\n\n\n\nEither way, good luck! I've been wanting to get into developing for mobile platforms for a while, and this is the limited research I've done. It also definitely helps to have the smart phone you're developing for.\n\n\n\nEDIT: A question for other mobile developers: Do any of you develop for Android without owning a phone that can run Android? If so, how does that work/how does that work out for you?",
"score": 3
}
] |
Imagining the Future of Human Evolution | Dougal Dixon authored/illustrated a book called [Man After Man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_After_Man) back in 1990. It's out of print. I stumbled on it at a used-book store, so I turned it into a PDF for others to enjoy this rare gem.
Previews:
* http://imgur.com/kgncV.jpg
* http://imgur.com/FxKra.jpg
* http://imgur.com/1Wkwb.jpg
* http://imgur.com/INq94.jpg
* http://imgur.com/0Qaka.jpg
* http://imgur.com/UPx0N.jpg
Link to PDF (142mb):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=758CQVZ0 | 36 | [
{
"body": "I doubt what evolution has in store for us is going to be particularly visible. Mate selection bias might make men taller, women bustier, and all of us more symmetrical, but much of our preferences change over time.\n\nPeople dying before they manage to reproduce is relatively rare for us, so reproduction rate matters most. Expect to see that favored. As our population growth slows (and it will), it will start to matter more what chances we give to our offspring. But, since technology changes so fast now, I don't expect physical changes. Instead look for social changes (more altruism is a good bet, especially in raising children) and increases in mental capacity. I also suspect theres more potential for faster growth in brain metabolism than in raw intelligence. One of the most noticeable changes humans of the future might have is the ability to burn calories by thinking hard.",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "Seriously, if they had the option in 50 years for me to put my brain in a jar and have an robotic interface for motor control and sensory input, I would not hesitate at all to sign up.",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "For humans, evolution by natural selection is almost gone already.\n\nI imagine the future will have genetic manipulations in store for us, humans will engineer their genes to be better, smarter, stronger, more attractive, etc. etc.\n\nFor example, in 500 years, I bet the male penis will be an inch or two larger on average. The average elite male height might be around 2m (6.5 ft). In 1000 years, the average life expectancy might be around 150-200. \n\nI don't see the human race evolving into something ugly. Rather, our standards of beauty (with the social imprinting stripped out) will probably be exaggerated. Instead of racism and sexism, society will likely get over that, but we may take on a new way to hate people: genism (similar to Gattaca).",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "For those who are wondering, the text in the 142mb scan is far more legible than the previews.\n\nThanks, man. This is pretty cool.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "In the vein of speculative biology, if you can get your hands on a copy of [The Future is Wild](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Future_Is_Wild), be sure to watch it. Very, very good.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "That reminds me of this story I read about humans being genetically altered and spread across multiple planets. It was actually quite a good read, and the illustrations are delightful. It's [here](http://www.nemoramjet.com/alltomorrows.pdf), if anyone wants to read it.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I was adopted. Today I discovered who my birth mom is - but I am not supposed to know. WTF do I do now? | A few weeks ago I called the person at an adoption agency who has been (very occassionally) trying to contact my birth mother on my behalf for the last couple years. Birth mom has so far not responded with any information - which is a disappointing and a bit infuriating. However, I remind myself that I cannot imagine what must be going through her head hearing from me 36 (now 38) years after giving me away and being told she would almost certainly never hear from or about me ever again.
I decided I would try writing a non-identifying letter to tell birth mom that I am grateful for what she did, that I have great parents and I grew up well (enough) adjusted, and now that I have my own family I really just want to know my medical history and ethnicity. I sent that letter to my agency person asking to send it along to my birth mom, however possible, as another attempt at getting her to respond.
I got a call back today. The agency person spoke to birth mom again but caught her at an awkwardly bad time. I don't want to give too many details. Suffice to say that the person at the adoption agency who is helping me, who I only speak to once or twice a year, accidentally (on purpose I think) let slip my birth mom's first name. I had previously guessed at my birth mom's last name based on a detail (I assume inadvertently) left in the non-identifying information I got from the County almost 3 years ago. I asked a roundabout question about that detail, and the agency person gave a plausibly-deniable answer confirming that I am right about birth mom's last name. So, now I know her first and maiden name.
From previous conversations with agency person, I know what industry birth mom works in, and that she was very easy enough to find on google because of her position at her company and in her community.
Without giving away too many details, I know who my birth mom is. I know where she works and where she lives - at least as far as the Internet knows.
I am NOT supposed to know any of this. The agency person could probably get in a lot of trouble over this. So, WTF am I supposed to do with this info? I never set out to meet birth mom, but I can't exactly un-ring this bell now. | 12 | [
{
"body": "Okay this has some issues with it. You birth mom has tried to keep certain aspects of her private life private. You have enough information to find her however you put others at risk if you do. \n\n1. Do not go look for her yourself. \n\n2. Hire a Private Investigator to give you a personal profile on her. \n\nWhen you hire the PI he can keep you confidential. He can get lots of information without contacting her. You may discover she has a very important reason for being a private person. You may discover it is just dealing with the guilt. \n\nI hate to say this. Do not contact her directly while the investigation is taking place. Once the investigation is done you have a legit means to say you located her without casting blame on the agency. \n\nWhen it comes time to contact her:\n1. Send her a simple card. No long drawn out letter. Give her a number to call you back at. Do not expect her to contact you right away. \n\n2. Do not go to her house or place of work. \n\n3. If you do arrange a meeting do it in a neutral place such as a coffee shop or similar.\n\n",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "Just say you found out on your own. Why do you have to involve anyone else in this? Contact your birth mom and be all like \"are you my birth mom\"; when she says yes, the agency person is off the hook.",
"score": 5
}
] |
Where is the strangest place you have masturbated? | Since [my other thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/sex/comments/amwrs/where_is_the_strangest_place_you_have_had_sex/) got such great answers, let's hear about your masturbation stories.
I have masturbated in a church at a wedding, at work in the bathroom, at school, in the car (a bit hard when you drive a stick), in the bathroom after sex because the guy didn't get me off, and many other places. I love self-love! | 145 | [
{
"body": "I was a thirteen-year-old boy and still in the honeymoon phase of masturbation. The things I did to my penis would qualify as domestic abuse in some states. I wanted to try it everywhere, in every position, with every inspiration imaginable. I even masturbated to an illustrated Bible once but that's not the point of this story.\n\nMy dad is a crafty handyman type guy, and growing up we had an aboveground pool, a trampoline, and a handbuilt jungle gym/swingset type of apparatus. I'd already done the pool, trampoline, and swings, and tonight was the jungle gym's turn. \n\nI started off in my room with the trusty JC Penney catalog and a bottle of conditioner. After an hour or so of foreplay - I was thirteen, and we did that then - I slipped out of the house naked, erect, and lubricated, and ran furtively up to the jungle gym. \n\nIt was raining slightly but still warm enough to be naked outside. It turns me the hell on to be naked in the rain, but that too is another story. The jungle gym is about thirty feet off the path that leads up to our barn, and I ran across the wet lawn and climbed on.\n\nI experimented with several different positions before I found the one I wanted: hanging upside down by my knees from a pull-up bar. Simple, but effective. It was a bit uncomfortable on my knees, but bold experimenters must be prepared to endure mild hardship. \n\nSo there I was, upside down and enthusiastically going great guns, when the house door opens and my dad steps out. He's got a rain jacket and boots on and I realize immediately he's heading up to the barn - along the path that leads not thirty feet from where I'm hanging naked.\n\nNow I have a couple options here. Immediately discarded was to brazen it out - though I might do that today, I was far too insecure at the time. I could run and hide - there were bushes only about fifty feet away across the lawn. But I'd just read _Jurassic Park_, and remembered the plot point about how dinosaurs react to movement, and can't see prey standing still. \n\nSo I decided that my best recourse was to hang completely still - upside down, naked, erect in the night and the rain - and that my dad wouldn't see me as he walked past. Now keep in mind that I'm one of the whitest motherfuckers you're likely to meet now or ever, and was even whiter then. Looking back with the wisdom of advanced age, I bet I positively _glowed_.\n\nBut there I am, upside down and trying to stay as still as possible. I want to say my hand was frozen on my upside down cock because it makes for better theater but I don't remember. My dad heads up the path, looking at the ground in front of him and mumbling under his breath. I'm silently urging him to speed up but he positively ambles. \n\nThen he draws abreast of me on the path and something catches his eye. He looks up, furrows his brow. Turns to his left, toward me. Leans forward and takes a step off the path as if to get a better look at the jungle gym. I stop breathing, would stop my heart beating if I knew how. He squints through the rain, I presume, though I can't see. Pauses for ten seconds ... fifteen ... twenty ...\n\n... then shrugs, mutters something, and continues on his way up to the barn.\n\nI know now that there's no way my dad couldn't have seen me. Despite the rain, despite the darkness, despite my intimate knowledge of dinosaur visual systems, I was too close and too white. But my dad - whatever his faults - is a pretty cool and froody guy, and [understanding of teenage embarrassment.](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/9bsqc/reddit_make_me_feel_less_awkward_whats_the_most/c0c67ea) \n\nAs mortified as I was at breakfast the next morning, he never said anything about it, then or ever - not even a wry crack about wanting to take a walk in the rain, or flip my perspective on things. He just kept on walking up to the barn that night, giving my thirteen-year-old ass time to flip off the bars, scamper naked back to my room, and finish off with the JC Penney catalog. Thanks, dad. You must have been thirteen and horny once too.\n\ntl;dr - My dad caught me masturbating upside down and naked but pretended he didn't see.",
"score": 691
},
{
"body": "I perfected the art of silent masturbation over fifteen years of sharing bunk-beds with my twin sister (I've heard all your comments before; yet twin girls do not all do lesbian porn). Obviously, I am female. \n\nI very rarely take longer than a minute or two to climax from self-stimulation (unless I try to make it last longer).\n\nI have pleasured myself in a high school bathroom. Didn't a lot of people? Also university bathrooms, usually while writing long papers and stressing about school. Once, I finished (silently) after another girl entered the washroom and was waiting for the stall. I would return, slightly flushed, to my library carrel and often do some of the most inspired, bang-on academic work of my undergrad and grad careers. I still wonder whether anyone ever knew what I was doing.\n\nSpeaking of which, in the summertime I decided to smoke a joint and go for a walk. I eventually ending up go read miscellaneous books picked off the shelves in an isolated back corner of my small university library. Always one of my fave things to do. I was reading something weird like Canadian-American relations but eventually, through strange tricks and machinations of thought, winded up pleasuring myself rapidly to orgasm AT a library carrel. Anyone might have come back browsing for a book and seen that, although I did not lower but only unzipped my jeans.\n\nOn an incredibly long, cramped thirteen-hour bus from Montreal to Saint John, New Brunswick, I covered myself with my jacket as I always do on long bus rides, and tried to ignore the guy sitting next to me. But I liked the still, quiet energy, of the guy sitting next to me, so I masturbated. For a long time. Then I came, in a slow burning long orgasm that reverberated through me and sent me immediately to sleep.\n\nI have never given much thought seriously about all this so-called sexual exhibitionism. Despite all these anecdotes, I don't feel perverted. I admit to getting a bit of a thrill from the notion of being caught. It's mainly about the sense of release and having a sexy secret.\n\n\n\n\n",
"score": 311
},
{
"body": "Awesome, this is like the third time I get to [repost](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/a44yb/guys_and_gals_of_reddit_whats_the/c0frl0d) this story this week\n\n___\n\nIn a HMMWV in Iraq on the day that we driving from Kuwait to Tikrit with a female TC (shotgun).\n\nWe'd been driving for like 18 hours and our last bathroom break had been hours ago. Having gone through 2 camel packs and several Gatorades I had to piss like nobodies business. So I reached for one of the empties (pro tip:Gatorade bottles make the best piss jugs as they have a wide mouth). So I fill one up completely and go on to the second. This one I just piss a little in. Now as I'm sitting there, dick in jar, driving a HMMWV, in Iraq, it occurs to me that now would be the perfect time to get the coveted convoy jack. I was confident that I wouldn't have time for a combat jack, but I could actually achieve this. So I gave it a few tugs and bam!: Gatorade bottle full of piss and cum.\n\nWow. That sounds awful when I type it all out...",
"score": 96
},
{
"body": "Once I was talking to this girl online and we started talking about sex and the usual cyberchat crap. Well it was about 2 AM and I said \"you know what would be hot? You come over here and watch me masturbate.\" I had never met this girl and this was the first time we had talked but she said OK. \n\nWe set it up so I would leave my apartment door unlocked and I would be sitting on the couch naked under a blanket. She walked in and sat in a different chair. We agreed that there would be no touching, just watching. So I did my thing and after a while she did her thing. We both got off and she got up and left.\n\nI look back and realize that we were both freaking crazy for doing that but damn, it was fun.",
"score": 56
},
{
"body": "Sitting on a gravestone.\n\nSeveral of them, actually.\n\nIncluding one shaped like a crescent moon with Pooh Bear carved into the side.\n\nI was a weird kid.",
"score": 42
},
{
"body": "On top of a mountain, alone in the Sierra wilderness. \n\nIt's an interesting feeling to know that potentially hundreds of square miles of land have a direct line of sight to your quivering willy, but there's nobody there to appreciate it.",
"score": 42
},
{
"body": "In the waiting room of my old Juvenile Hall.\n\nI was on probation, just got out of juvie and sent to a boys home. For school, they had me on at the juvie as a 'day student', meaning that I'd arrive early in the morning, wait for a Correction's Officer to let me into the booking room, change out of my street clothes and into juvie attire, then go to their on-site school. After school, I'd change back and go home.\n\nOftentimes, the group home staff would drop me off at the juvie before the juvie staff had things ready for school, so I would have to wait in the waiting room for almost a half hour, waiting, with nothing to do but read those tired pamphlets left by Jehovah's Witnesses, or Alcoholic's Anonymous. There was almost never anyone else in the waiting room, save for me, and a swiveling camera that always pointed at the front door, and not at the seats. You could see through its glass dome case where it was aiming, and you could hear the electric whir when it moved.\n\nTo get to the point, one early morning I'm sitting there, bored, staring at the floor, when my cock just started hardening out of nowhere. Sometimes you get those boners that are like \"hey, what's up?\", and you can tune 'em out. Other times, they coincide with scattered fantasies that can swarm your head when you're bored, and you just *have to do something about it*.\n\nKnowing that the camera could've swung my way had a C.O. chose to get a look at me (and they already knew I was there, waiting), and after devising a quick penis-stashing routine, I unzipped and starting jerking it right there. I kept swiveling my head between the front door, the camera, and the heavy clicking juvie door. Through all of this cautiousness, the whole thing didn't feel sexual at all. It was like taking a public piss, except I was in a waiting room and I just had to relieve some pesky hormonal buildup.\n\nTook about five minutes, no stewing in any fantasies, just getting a job done. When I came, I shot it in an AA pamphlet and set it back where I found it (and it was a big load, too, smelled like Clorox bleach; anyone else ever notice that scent?).\n\nLots of kids get caught whacking off in juvie all the time. Some see it as an accomplishment if they can get a female staff member to watch them jack it while doing passing bedchecks through the cell door window. But *I* was the only one who did it on the outside, somewhat, so I win them all.",
"score": 33
},
{
"body": "Years ago when I was in high school, I skipped class and walked home at lunch. When I got home, the house was locked and it started raining, so I went into my small storage shed. The basic metal sheds you can buy anywhere. I moved some things around and had enough space to sit on a chair stored in there with some room. It wasn't a bad situation, so I decided to wait out the rain. After awhile, I got bored and decided this would be a nature jack. Completely naked in this shed, I started going at it. The wind from outside gusting in, being outside... it was awesome. Something about just letting it go outside is so feral, I love it.",
"score": 29
},
{
"body": "In an airplane. I was on an 9 hour flight and I couldn't sleep. So I go to the lavatory to do what I normally do when I can't sleep. I'm done and I check and make sure I have not made a mess and I'm out in under 5 minutes. The moment I walk out, from 4 feet away, the stewardess looks right at me with a look of shock and disgust. This is the day that I found out that airplane lavatory's have cameras and flight attendants have access to the feeds.",
"score": 29
},
{
"body": "I've mastered the art of hands free getting off (kegels for the win!) and a friend had dared me to wear my massage balls during a nine hour car trip I was on. I was alone in the car driving, but decided to do it when I was driving during a really busy part of the day. I came pretty hard, and drove with my cheeks all flushed for the next hour or so.",
"score": 23
},
{
"body": "The balcony of my hotel at the start of Bourbon St, New Orleans. I blew my load on the crowd below. >:)",
"score": 20
},
{
"body": "I have done it in the open on Mauna Kea, just above the cloud line. With a loaded Benelli shotgun strapped to me. Also, in the bathroom of the Iraqi border station by Jordan. ",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "I used to work security at a casino. I whacked it in the security jeep a couple times.\n\nI hope that, you know, makes you feel more safe.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "Hey, I've masturbated in the bathroom after sex cause the girl didn't get me off. High Five!! *hands are clean right now",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "I used to work the graveyard shift in a convenience store, and I'd jerk off in the walk-in freezer where I could keep an eye on the store through the plexiglass door. I made a game of it by trying to time my orgasm with the entrance of a rare early morning customer.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "Back when I had just discovered it and could get my rocks off extremely easily, I would do it in the middle of class a lot. I often worry about whether or not I was ever discovered in my less discrete days. Other places:\n\nAirplane lavatory \nCar whilst driving \nBathroom in every place I have ever worked or attended school \nJacuzzi (to a girl sitting in the jacuzzi at the time) \nCar whilst not driving \nIn the woods (Many times. Backpacking trips can get lonely)\n\nI think that's about it. I'll add more if I think of any. I'm a male, by the way.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "When I was younger:\nIn the woods during both day and night, in the middle of my backyard at night, in a canoe on the middle of a lake in broad daylight, off an observation point at a state park.\n\nIn the past several years:\nIn the car while driving at least 10 times, into a urinal in a public mall bathroom, out my bedroom window, out my window at work, out my boss's window at work, on the rooftop at work, OFF the rooftop at work onto a car below, in the bathroom at work at least once a month, in my car in a grocery store parking lot, in the middle of a group of trees beside my house in broad daylight while cars are whizzing past. I also sometimes masturbate with my back propped way up against a wall so my cock is pointing into my mouth, and shoot it on my face and mouth.\n\nI have this weird obsession with cumming out windows, and would like to try more of that. ",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "in a movie theater... not an adult theater, just a regular theater. i was the only person in the theater for that screening, so i figured why not :-)",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "When I was in college I worked in the IT department of the university's business school. I worked tons of late hours and had keys to everything. \n\nOne night during the summer I'd been up all night preparing machines for deployment and needed a break. I used my keys to go sit up on the roof of the building and watch the stars. This is probably about 2 or 3 in the morning and I'm on top of a 4-story building.\n\nI got super horny out of nowhere and had the urge. I stripped down buck naked and started fapping like the sun would never rise again. I positioned myself near the front part of the building and did the deed while on my knees facing into the quad.\n\nI don't know if it was being outside on a warm summer night or the thrill of doing something so \"wrong\", but I shot one of the biggest loads of my life. I blew my jizz cannon a few feet into the air, over the edge of the roof and onto the steps below. My man chowder made a very satisfying splat as it hit the granite steps below.\n\nNow whenever I go back there and walk by that building I have a good chuckle knowing that I left a little part of me there that night. ",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "booting up the alt account.\n\nWell, in the work bathroom and in the car too, but also in a Denny's bathroom.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "in grade school, sitting at the desk and in the bathroom\n\nin the car\n\nin college: on the weekend in the engineering building while taking a break from studying for a midterm... everyone was at lunch\n\n25 story, two tower hotel: on my 3rd floor room's balcony",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "The Tanning Bed! I always clean up, but pretty much do it every time. I'm bored while tanning and can't think of a better way to spend my 12 minutes. I do feel sorry for the people that go after me, but that won't stop me.\n\nI even bring in a travel size container of lube. I leave feeling like I just left the beach and very relaxed.\n",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "In my best friends back yard while I was waiting for them to get back home.\n\nIn a port a potty while I was working a concrete job to put myself through college. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "oh, and then there was the time i did it in the bathroom of an A&W restaurant in bob dole's hometown in kansas while i was driving cross-country.\n\nso it was kind of a political statement :-)\n\nfunny, too, that i walked out and cop was the next guy standing in line to use the bathroom...not the he could tell what i was done, but i was still a little freaked out!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Work and school bathrooms, but those are normal, right? Oh, god bless my iPhone. I guess the most disturbing is in my grandparents guest room, but even that's not so bad. The most difficult to clean up would be while driving on the freeway at night. Sometimes you just can't wait until you get home! Oh, and a girl I was seeing once thought it was normal to finish after she finished, I disagreed. She went to the bathroom and came back to me jerking it on her bed. Hey, she should know better!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Airplane bathroom\nBathroom at work\nLibrary (in the stacks and bathroom)\nBunk bed in a room full of other girls at (yes) band camp and at majorette camp\nbathrooms at my high school\nbathroom at my best friends high school and at her house\n\nI think I'll stop there",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "In my own mouth! For years, I had been told it was impossible to suck myself off, and I believed them. But, I knew I was more flexible than the average guy, and it got me wondering... From that point, it didn't take all that long to prove them wrong, although my back hurt so much afterwords that I never tried again. Count me with the classics, in my high school public bathroom, my work (grocery) public bathroom, in the car while driving, in the car while not driving, in the back of my classroom, in bunk beds with other people, etc. I thought I was pretty wild, but some of these posts make me feel downright conservative. I have to do it upside down someday...",
"score": 3
}
] |
Male redditors, about girls posting colors in their facebook statuses: | Girls have been getting a "chain letter" in their facebook inboxes saying to post the color of their bra in their status, but not explain what they are doing.
Now you are in the loop. Go call out a girl on it. | 22 | [
{
"body": "THEY'RE FACEBOOK STATUSES. Since when the HELL did people on reddit give a FUCK about people's Facebook statuses?!?!\n\nHonestly, when I saw girls posting colors/descriptions of various fabrics, I was pretty quick to figure out what they were doing. WHO THE FUCK CARES??\n\nEdit: I just wanted to add that a lot of my male friends got cheeky and started posting colors of their own \"bras.\" Yes, they were fully aware of what they were doing, but they wanted to get in on it and as a result, got a few laughs out of me and my friends.",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "When will they start raising awareness for heart disease? [It kills more women than breast cancer you know](http://womenshealth.gov/faq/heart-disease.cfm#b). Maybe they should all post the color of their heart...",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "It has to do with breast cancer. They are putting down the color of their bra to raise awareness for breast cancer... the only problem with that is, like you, up until a few minutes I had no idea what the colors were meant for.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I like how posting a random color with no explanation at all is supposed to raise awareness of breast cancer. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I'm in China teaching English, and until I read this post I actually missed facebook (due to The Great Firewall of China). Thank you, Reddit, for putting things back in perspective for me. Facebook is less a social networking tool than an annoying application slash retarded mini-meme generator.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I'm trying to decide if I should call girls out, or wait for more to post so that I can have more detailed information to... think about...",
"score": 3
}
] |
Blizzard is awesome for including Mac support. | I've recently had the urge to play SC, but I thought I never could because I'm on a Mac. Well, surprise! Blizzard includes a down-loadable copy for Mac users online for free as long as you have the original CD code.
I thought I'd have to buy a whole new copy of the game that is Mac enabled. I bought my original back in '98, which doesn't support Macs. Luckily, I looked it up and eventually (spent a couple hours figuring it out) got SC to run on my OS X.
I'm so happy! I was able to play starcraft for the first time in 4+ years! | 22 | [
{
"body": "Their support has only improved since Starcraft... every game they've released since the Diablo 2 Expansion in 2001 has been a simultaneous Mac and Windows on the same disk release.\n\nBut yes, giving free access to the digital download of any game you've previously purchased is awesome. It also helps the situation where you original disks are obliterated/annihilated.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Uh dude, Starcraft was released for OS 9. You always could play since like the 90s. It has run on OS9 and OSX for a very, very long time.\n\nSee how there's both a .sit for classic and a .dmg for OSX? Check the dates on the files man: http://ftp.blizzard.com/pub/starcraft/patches/Mac/",
"score": 7
}
] |
Why do cars in America have no tail? The one that drags on the ground to carry away static electricity to avoid explosion? | Why do cars in America have no tail? The one that drags on the ground to carry away static electricity to avoid explosion?on? | 7 | [
{
"body": "When cars are first made a rubber band is placed around the tail. This will stub the tail and make it almost invisible. On bigger cars you can still see this stub, and it is commonly used to pull boats or trailers. ",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "If you go to other countries you will commonly see \"grounding straps\". Little bendable strips of metal and rubber attached to a bumper or wheel well that are supposedly used to keep static electricity from building up and blowing your car up. The reason Americans don't use them is because they aren't needed.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "I've seen chains dragging at the back of old trucks sometimes, but I haven't seen it on newer models, nor ever on cars.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "The specification for carbon black in our tires is high enough to dissipate the static build up in most cases.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Diesel vehicles are far less common in the US, and it's diesels that tend to have these problems. Diesel trucks typically drag chains or a strip, but most passenger vehicles do not.",
"score": 3
}
] |
"Fruit" or "Fruits"? | "Wow! Look at all this fruit!"
"Don't forget to eat your fruits and vegetables"
"I have 10 pieces of fruit."
"What kind of fruits do you have?"
Seriously, which one is it? Well, I mean, obviously it's both... but why? What makes them different? Anyone know? | 3 | [
{
"body": "Fruit = a large number of fruit.\n\nFruits = a large number of *types* of fruit.\n\nBut it's not exactly a rule or anything.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "If you have an arbitrary number of pieces of a single type, you have fruit.\n\nIf you have a single piece of an arbitrary number of types, you have fruits.",
"score": 3
}
] |
What causes your eyesight to deteriorate? | I know that watching too much tv or spending too much time playing video games is supposedly an old wives' tale, but in my personal experience whenever I am given a block of time to engage in these activities my eyesight does indeed get weaker.
So what is it about TV? Is it the rapidly shifting images that forces your eyes to constantly focus on new objects? Is it the bright colors? What is it? | 4 | [
{
"body": "I really hope we find a way to effectively reverse it, but better than the laser solution. My worst inconvenience in my daily life is probably my glasses. It probably sounds stupid, but they drive me insane. I miss being able to see crystal clear without having this shit on my face.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Although I'm no optician by any means, I was always under the impression that when your eyes are situated on something that doesn't move too much, for any great amount of time, or repeatedly, all the time, your eye muscles start to relax.\n\nFor instance, I've been staring at computer screens since I was very little, and as a result I'm near-sighted, and need glasses to see anything greater than 25 cm in front of my face clearly.\n\nI'm not sure if it's the \"muscles\" in your eye, or if it's the mechanics that help focus or anything, but this is my general understanding.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "recent thorough article from new scientist on myopia (not spending enough time outdoors appears to be the primary cause you can do something about)\nhttp://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427331.100-generation-specs-stopping-the-shortsight-epidemic.html",
"score": 3
}
] |
Eve is the first game in which I've rage-quit and immediately uninstalled. I have failed you, r/Eve. | I was playing for about 2 weeks off and on. I was in a [Thrasher](http://eve.wikia.com/wiki/Thrasher) and running tutorial missions and the first (?) epic arc. A bunch of drones came at me and, webbed me, and eventually blew up my ship. My bad.
After rebuying my ship and refitting it, which ended up taking me another day to collect everything, I threw myself at the mission again. I thought I'd be smarter this time, and after my shields were down, I'd jump out immediately and try it again.
Well, the shields go down and I try to warp out where I spend the longest 45 seconds of my life, waiting for my damn ship to warp out, and slowly watched my ship go down to structure and get blown up again.
So yeah. First game I've ever rage-quit. I really tried to like you Eve, but I think we just weren't meant for each other. I hope we can still be friends though. | 15 | [
{
"body": "Eve is the only game I've ever played thats affected me in real-life. I've had accounts for over 5 years now and in the first few years I would get right pissed the fuck off, smashing my fist into my walls, breaking keyboards etc.\n\n\nI am much calmer and realize that its just a game, and I'm getting pissed about pixels. But my blood still boils a bit when I lose a HAC or higher.\n\n\nLive by this code:\nhttp://podlogs.com/puttputt/2009/06/01/how-to-determine-if-you-should-buy-an-expensive-ship/",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "It's brutal...Mrs. rotll lost her battleship (a wedding anniversary gift from me) in 2004, and quit...we started playing again about 2 months ago.\n\nthe sense of loss in Eve is tangible, compared to other MMO's...",
"score": 3
}
] |
What's your favorite first track from a debut album? | A few days ago I found myself standing in front of the bargain bin with $5 to spare when I spotted The B-52's self-titled debut. Shortly thereafter I discovered that the opening track, [Planet Claire](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVZ5KTxyOOY), pretty much sums up what the band's all about. For 2+ minutes there's nothing but an uptempo Peter Gunn riff and weird spaced-out synthesizers, and then that guy starts talk-singing about people not ever dying or having heads. Fun stuff.
Another great career opener would have to be Jonathan Coulton's [I'm Having A Party](http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/I'm+Having+a+Party) -- I still get a little giddy when I hear the line about ice cream and crunchies in Fudgie The Whale's tail.
So what are your picks? What other first tracks out there contain hints of greatness that followed? | 7 | [
{
"body": "Some would argue that \"Licensed To Ill\" wasn't exactly a debut album, but it was most peoples intro to the Beastie Boys. \"Rhyming and Stealing\" is a great first track that sets the tone perfectly.",
"score": 5
}
] |
how to give someone a second chance | So I'll try to make this as short as possible. I was having problems with my BF for almost two months. I couldn't handle it anymore so I told him I wanted to end things. He, of course, went into remorse and basically said he would change and try to be better. I admit, I do see him changing a little bit but I can't seem to forget the problems I had with him. How do I forget the past and just start over on a clean slate?
EDIT: a little more information. We have been doing the long distance thing for about six months. The first couple of months were okay but these last two months were real bad. He was usually too stressed or tired from work to talk to me and when we did, he was extremely rude and bitter. So rude to the point that it actually hurt to talk to him than not talk to him. Towards the end, we were barely talking. A total of one hour for every two weeks. He told me he is scared to loose me and wants to be better..bought me a ticket to go visit him and i am going this weekend. Yet, I'm still questioning his commitment to change and be with me...? | 4 | [
{
"body": "How long have the two of you been apart? It takes at least 21 days, statistically, for a person to break a habit. And that's 21 days of not indulging in that habit at all, which on average takes 4-6 months before they make it for 21 days straight. So, chances are, if you haven't been apart for 6 months, he hasn't really changed any habits since the two of you broke up.\r\n\r\nDon't stay with someone for who they could be. Stay with them for who they are. If he is right now someone you want to be with, just decide to hold yourself to a higher standard and not let past mistakes affect the relationship. If he isn't right now someone you want to be with, don't let pity or hope tie you to the relationship--the voice in your head isn't reminding you of the past, it's pointing out to you that the present isn't really very different.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "End it. Understand this is only advice from some old guy you do not know, and so it needs to be read in exactly that matter. Nonetheless, my advice is end it.\n\nWhy? Because the idea of people changing their emotional interactions by the time they are old enough to be on their own and holding down a job is a myth. A complete myth. Five years from now, you might be married (so long distance will no longer be an issue) and I would bet my ski pass (it means a lot to me!) that he will come home \"too stressed or tired from work to talk\" to you.\n\nThis does not mean he's a bad guy, it just means he's a bad guy for you. One of my brothers and his wife are stressed and argue all the time and they love each other more than most people I know. It works because they are both that way. There is no denying they are happy. (If I was married to someone like her I would just shoot myself. I would be miserable because I cannot handle constant stress in a relationship.)\n\nDon't expect him to change, and under that assumption ask yourself if you want to continue the relationship. If the answer is yes, then make it work. If it is no, then start looking elsewhere.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Your EDIT sounds similar to my own situation. LDR, emotional issues and stress led me to be rude and bitter to my bf. Of course, this hurt him a lot to the point that he'd rather not talk to me than stand my bitchiness. I really wanted to change, but I truly didn't realize I was being bitchy or rude, so we got into an agreement that every time my attitude started hurting him, he'd let me know and I was to change immediately. It's hard to stick to it, especially when you're feeling stressed, but it's doable.\n\nDon't know if this will help.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "It's really hard to know whether the person has truly changed.\r\n\r\nI've had this problem several times in my life and in my experience, the guy will *tell* you that he's completely changed and that he needs a second chance but in reality it takes months and months for someone to truly change their ways and stick to it, and you never know when their old \"habits\" will start to resurface.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Question: What the heck are we supposed to post here? | I recently found out about this subreddit, and figured I'd post a few of the mixtapes I'd made to share with everyone, but they immediately got downvoted.
So my question is, if we don't post mixtapes on here, what do we post? | 3 | [
{
"body": "Personally, I upped one of yours and downed the other based on whether I liked the mix or not. In retrospect, maybe I should have upped the one I liked and ignored the other. You don't really deserve a negative from me because we have different tastes. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Garrett Gilbert started an amazing career during the second half tonight. Can't wait until the '10 season. | It's a shame there were the two INTs right at the end to deflate his amazing effort. But damn, turning a game around like that, in those circumstances, is just stunning. | 41 | [
{
"body": "Seriously. His stats sucked but that could have been the drops and his receivers not going back up for the ball. \n\n15-40 \t186\t37.5\n\nMalcolm Williams took some cash to drop balls. He'll be driving a nicer car in Austin.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "Cograts to alabama. You managed to to barely beat a team that was without the quarterback it was centered around. \n\nI mean, it has to be tough playing a true freshman playing his first game in the national championship. That #1 defense really stepped up, I guess.\n\nAlso, Jordan Shipley is a god amongst men.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "Vanilla Vince is going to win the Heisman and the national championship in his college career. Mark my words. And he can run, too. Didn't get a chance to tonight, but he can. Maybe it's unfair to call him Vanilla Vince, but he's a blue chipper. We all knew he was more talented than Colt McCoy. So did Colt.\n\nA dark night but a bright future. HOOK'EM HORNS!",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "I grew up in Austin.....I messaged my aunt at the game around 8:35....\"Have faith. Gilbert can play if they stop double teaming the tackles and protect the outside\" So glad I have that recorded. I need to start coaching. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "The bitterness is palpable in here.\n\nAnd for the record, I didn't care who came out on top. I just wanted to see a good game. Which I did.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "That's such an awesome name. Texas QBs seem to have awesome names:\n\n* Garrett Gilbert\n* Colt McCoy\n* Major Applewhite",
"score": 4
}
] |
Anyone else upset they nerfed the Force a nature? | The knockback is pretty much negligable now. I can shoot someone point blank and not move em. I didn't see FaN scouts as being overpowered. while on the subject also opinions on how th sandman is also pretty much useless now as well. | 15 | [
{
"body": "I never used it anyway, but it was fucking annoying that the scout could just immobilize you with a single shot like that.",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "FaN scouts weren't overpowered, they were just really annoying. The FaN let bad scouts graze an enemy and get an easy meatshot without actually having to aim. It's really frustrating when you land the shots and he just pops you up in the air for an easy lock.",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "fan was awesome when it first came out, I could clear huge distances with doublejump + knockback. They've pretty much completely ruined it now due to crybabies that will no doubt make themselves known here",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "I really liked the FaN on certain maps - particularly KOTH maps like nucleus. I haven't played the game since this latest change, but I'm concerned that they keep nerfing the scout's alternative weapons. I mean what is the point of having alternative weapons if they are going to make them useless? \n\nThe recent change to the HP reduction of the Sandman makes it a no brainer to equip rather than the standard bat, but the scare rather than stun has made kills from it a lot harder to get your opponent. \n",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "The scout doesn't want to knockback his target. The scout has very significant drop-off in damage due to scattering, and not that much ammo, so he wants his target close where he can kill them fast.\n\nThe old pop-up FaN worked well for the scout because it stopped players moving towards you, like pyros, but when you caught someone from behind it actually stopped them from escaping.\n\nThe new FaN now launches the enemy away if you hit them in the air, and does nothing at all on the ground. That isn't helpful to the scout at all. Since you have no control over whether the enemy is in the air, and you need to shoot them either way.\n\nI haven't tried the sandman in a long time, so I have no idea on that one.",
"score": 5
}
] |
How do you talk about a point of time in the future? | I am at a loss, trying to say, "In 2 or 3 years, I should be able to come back to Japan."
Would it be, 二年あと？ I'm pretty sure that saying, "2 years ago" is 二年毎、is that also correct? Thanks!
EDIT*二年前 | 6 | [
{
"body": "You're looking for \"go\", the kunyomi of \"ato\". \n\"Ni san nen go\" is \"in two or three years\". \n\nOn another note, I can't yet type Jse text in here. How do?",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "*Ni, san nen tattara Nihon ni modotte-kuru darou.*\r\n\r\n= (When) two (or) three years have passed, Japan to (I) will return.\r\n\r\nOr \r\n\r\n*Ni, san nen tattara Nihon ni modotte-korareru da to omoimasu.*\r\n\r\n= (When) two (or) three years have passed, Japan to (I) will be able to return (I) think.",
"score": 4
}
] |
AskLinux: Using GParted to extend my Windows 7 partition? | Hello!
A brief description of my hard drive setup and what my problem is: I currently have three partitions set up. /dev/sda1 is a 50 GB NTFS partition for my Windows 7 install. /dev/sda2 is a 50 GB EXT3 partition for my Ubuntu 9.10 install. /dev/sda3 is a 600 GB NTFS partition for storage that can be shared between Ubuntu and Windows. My Windows partition is getting a bit tight, and I want to decrease the storage section (/dev/sda3) by 100 GB and increase the Windows partition (/dev/sda1) by 100 GB to a total of 150 GB.
Using the Windows Disk Manager, I deallocated 100 GB from the D: storage partition (no problem). I then booted into a GParted LiveCD, but for the life of me I can't figure out where to go from here. This may be because I have limited knowledge of how partitions work. From what I can tell, the unallocated space (does it need to be formatted?) needs to be directly to the right of /dev/sda1. How do I do this?
Currently my partitions look like this:
[--/dev/sda1--][--/dev/sda2--][--------/dev/sda3--------][----unallocated----]
[--48.84 GiB--][--48.84 GiB--][-------501.13 GiB--------][-----97.65 GiB-----]
Do I need to format the unallocated space as NTFS, then copy the Windows partition to that, then delete the windows partition, then format the deleted unallocated space as NTFS, then extend the new copied Windows partition to that formatted space, then rename that to /dev/sda1? Is that even in the correct realm of thinking?
Thanks for the help! | 5 | [
{
"body": "Gparted can do what you want, fairly easily. Gparted is best when you do it in simple steps. \n\n1. Move sda3 to the end of the disk. You should be able to right click and select Move, then just drag the whole thing over.\n\n2. Apply. This will take a while. (read: probably hours) (once it completes successfully, move to the next step)\n\n3. Move sda2 to bump up against sda3. Same thing, right click, Move, drag to the right.\n\n4. Apply. This will take a while. (read: probably hours) (once it completes successfully, move to the next step)\n\n5. Resize sda1. Right click, select RESIZE and then drag the right arrow to the right, it should fill the space. \n\n6. Apply. This will take a while. (read: probably several minutes) (you aren't moving data at this point, just resizing and reallocating things.)\n\nDisclaimer: this is from memory and just a rough mock up of how to do things. Oh, but the taking hours part, that's for reals.\n\nIt's quite easy to do once you've done it a couple times. \n\nPS. backup things first. I have to say it, because if I don't and you loose something... it'll be funnier since we told you so. :-) But really, I've used Gparted LiveCD hundreds of times and never had a problem.\n\nPPS. In simple terms, all you are doing is BUMP, BUMP, EXPAND. No formatting or anything, your last question was painfully complicated and completely... sorry, but it's way off.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Win7 can resize it natively. The problem is that you need that unallocated space to be adjacent to sda1. Use GParted to shift the partitions over to place the unallocated space in the correct location. This will take a long time though since all that data has to be moved. To answer your last question: No, completely not the correct realm. [This may be useful.](http://gparted.sourceforge.net/docs/help-manual/C/gparted_manual.html#gparted-advanced-partition-actions)",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "It would be easier to just make the currently unallocated space into a second dedicated Windows partition. Unless there's something special about Win7 I don't know about, you shouldn't have any problems installing and using programs on the second partition.\n\nIf you really want just one big dedicated partition, you'll have to move sda2 and sda3 to either the beginning or the end of the disk. In this case moving them to the end would be easier; you can then simply expand sda1 without having to worry about copying it. Moving 550GB would take quite a while though, so save it for an afternoon when you don't need to use the computer for anything.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "You can resize a partition using windows 7's built-in stuff, but I don't recall if you can move them. You'd need to both move and resize to make the unallocated space contiguous with sda1.\n\nYou might be happy just using windows disk manager to make a span volume with that unallocated space - then you'd have the space in windows. However, now I can't remember if you can make a span volume on a basic disk.\n\nI'm probably not helping, but I've already typed it.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Do you know if YOU'RE attractive Reddit? | Well, I've always wondered about this. I've looked at myself in the mirror constantly and I have no idea. I can't decide for myself if I would find myself attractive if I were a girl. I could probably do with more exercise, but if I have clothes on, I look like a regular relatively thin guy. Otherwise, like I said, no clue whatsoever. How about you guys fellow redditors? | 16 | [
{
"body": "I usually tell myself that I'm beautiful as I reach into my freezer and pull out a tub of cookie-dough ice cream. I then proceed to eat straight from the tub, muttering \"I'm beautiful\" through the constant consumption of ice cream, over and over again.",
"score": 25
},
{
"body": "I tell myself that I am attractive often enough for me to usually believe it, so I act like I am and that is enough. Confidence becomes attractiveness.",
"score": 15
},
{
"body": "Isn't there some kind of research that says you can't tell after you've looked at someone's face for an extended period of time? I thought I was handsome in my 20s, and 30s, then the wrinkles started coming. My face looks like a road map now.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "On a scale of 1-10 I'd think I were a 5.5\n\nIf I lost some weight I think I'd be an 8.5 and look pretty badass\n\nIt's my new year goal to get back in shape, cause my girlfriend is a 9/10 and competition is fierce.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "There is a technical term for how I look.\n\nDamn Sexy.\n\nAlso see; really really ridiculously good looking.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I just assume im amazingly good looking because im awesome in every other aspect of my life. Its worked out well so far",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I'm a dude, I don't need to be attractive, I just need to be awesome.\n\nSeriously, guys who put too much thought into how they look? We call them gay, or metro, or guidos. \n\nLift weights because it makes you strong, better to function in life. Become wittier, and more confident. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
To donate an organ or not? | So here's my dilemma, I have a parent who is dying of renal failure. This parent is estranged. I have not seen them in over 10 years, the reason for this though is due to a mental illness. When they were around, they were not the ideal parent, due to the mental illness. Do I donate a kidney or not? They are smart, compassionate, gifted and an amazing individual when medicated, but the illness has taken over for most of their life. I understand the reason the relationship is minimal is because of this fairly severe mental illness. I have the power to prolong a life, but of someone I know little about, who is in the later stages of life (55+) and is mentally ill. The other aspect of this is that if I am not a match, there is a cascading effect and my kidney goes to someone who needs it and my parent also receives a kidney in place of mine.
Sorry for the gender neutrality, I have friends who read Reddit and wish to truly remain anonymous. I have inquired amongst friends and many tell me it's a bad idea. I want to see what you guys think. I read reddit often but never post. I personally am thinking that if someone benefits from my kidney and lives a fuller life because of it, I will be happy - even if I do not know them. What do you think?
Edit: I'm not looking to forge any relationship - just save a life | 8 | [
{
"body": "Yes, you have two kidneys. No, living with one is not the same as living with two. Saving this parents life does not rid them of the mental illness that has made them estranged to you, and thus, there is no gaurentee that saving them will have any positive effect for you. It may seem selfish but sometimes you have to look out for number one.",
"score": 5
}
] |
I want to get back into Eve... | So I used to play. like, 3 years ago. I played for half a year, then life happened and I unsubscribed since I wasn't playing it any more. I no longer have any of my account info and have no way to access it, so I want to start anew.
It's been what, half a decade since Eve came out? Is it possible for a new player to forge an existence so late in the game? Should I even bother? | 9 | [
{
"body": "yup, it's totally possible, and they're writing a lot of beginner content. the new profession newbie missions are pretty cool and give good loot for starting chars.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I started playing in... (checks) April '09. I've 'forged an existence' in a 0.0 corp, and have created two alts for mining/manufacturing that make about 600-800 million per month, at least. My main is also a billionaire despite pvping often.\n\nSo yeah, it's doable.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Been playing on and off since 06. A lot of people are in your shoes; both people who have played before and people who want to start fresh. \n\nThe way skill training works is that it seems you can never catch up to people who have been playing longer than you. While that is true in most respects (You'll likely never catch up in raw SkillPoints), skills only have 5 levels. \n\nAs soon as you have a skill to 5, you have that skill as high as someone who has been playing longer. As such, specialization allows you to still be useful, even if you haven't played for a while.\n\n",
"score": 3
}
] |
Can you solve 23*687 in you head? | First off don't look at your monitor, look at something with no numbers on it.
My job entails me standing around and doing absolutely nothing. So I was trying to do this is took me almost 20 minutes. What's your time?
I'm working up to 3 digit times 3 digit numbers.
Also how did you go about solving it?
I did 3*697=2061 then tried to remember that number. Then 2*687=1374 and remembered that number. I thought this would result in less characters that needed to be remembered.
Then add the appropriate columns.
ie
1+0, 6+4, 0+7, 2+3, 0+1
Also, do you try to imagine the numbers floating around, do you hear them, or what's going on? What cognitive process are you utilizing?
**edit** Nice job all, I see a lot of people can remember a lot of numbers at one time.
Like Grande_Yarbles,
> I started with 268710, then was working on 3*687. Was doing it visually in my head- as if I was writing the numbers down. Did the first part in a few seconds but when I got to the second part I realized I had forgotten the first and gave up.
I found that I was doing this a lot. To all of those who did it quickly are you able to remember the numbers after you do the calculations? We can all multiply and add, the procedure is simple, and even more so it is most often learned by rote. So you can basically teach it to certain animals on some fundamental level.
I wonder are some of us better at just simply remembering number? (I think the difficulty lies in this, opposed to the actual operation)
If this is the case, what do you think can be done to improve this cognitive faculty? | 26 | [
{
"body": " I went like 687 * 2, then * 10, then 687 + 687 + 687 but at some point I lost interest and didn't finish.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "23 x 600 = (20 x 600) + (3 x 600)= 12000 + 1800 = 13800\n\n23 x 80 = (20 x 80) + (3 x 80)= 1600 + 240 = 1840\n\n13800 + 1840 = 15640\n\n23 x 7 = (20 x 7) + (3 x 7) = 140 + 21 = 161\n\n15640 + 161 = 15801\n\nThis is how I do large problems in my head every time - break into manageable parts that you can then add together for the total. ",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "15801\n\nI'm impressed that I was correct, I do multiplication the normal long way. So I had to memorize 687 times 3 before memorizing 687 times 20. Then I had to add the two.\n\nedit: I multiply numbers like these in order to get rid of boners. Desperation can make me a human calculator.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "10 * 687 = 6870.\n\n6870 * 2 = 13740 (now we have multiplied by 20).\n\n3*687 = 2061 (now do the 3).\n\n13740+2061 = 15801 (add the two to get x23).",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "I did it fairly quickly just by doing 2*687 then adding a zero (13740) then doing 3 * 687 and adding the result (2061). The hardest part for me was remembering 13740, but I repeated it in my head a bunch of times before moving on to memorize it because I knew I would forget it otherwise.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "My method is a little convoluted, but it works because it helps you remember the numbers and you have fewer total numbers to remember because each multiplication is added to the previous total until you get to the answer...\n\nDo it from left to right instead of right to left. Also, don't say the numbers in you head, recite the digits. 18 = one eight\n\n2 * 6 = 12\n\n2 * 8 = 16\n\n12<< + 16 = 136\n\n3 * 6 = 18\n\n136 + 18 = 154\n\n2 * 7 = 14\n\n154<< + 14 = 1554\n\n3 * 8 = 24\n\n1554 + 24 = 1578\n\n3 * 7 = 21\n\n1578<< + 21 = 15801\n\nTo illustrate the addition, I'll do it here as it happens in my head (again, left to right)\n\n1\n\n15\n\n157\n\n1570\n\n1580\n\n15801",
"score": 4
}
] |
Lunch Lady with a giant monster worm coming out of the top of her head [Show] | I have this memory of a scene from a tv show from the mid to late 90's where a lunch lady wielding a meat cleaver in a dark kitchen removes her wig and has a giant demon that looks like a worm with fangs come out of the top of her head. I remember that the worm was supposed to be the lunch lady's true form or something like that, so her eye sockets were empty while this thing was out. I'm pretty sure the worm got it's head cut off and it landed in a meat grinder. Actually, she may have been a fast food worker.
I want to say it's from a show in the vein of Buffy, So Weird, Big Wolf on Campus or the X-files, but google isn't being very helpful.
Edit: It may be from a show called Bone Chillers, from the episode Back to School, but there is precious little information online about it. Can anyone confirm or deny this? | 3 | [
{
"body": "It was Buffy. The episode was called \"Doublemeat Palace\". Also probably one of the worst episodes of a great series.",
"score": 9
}
] |
What are some modern bands/artists that have good lyrics? | I'm trying to modernize my tastes a bit as most everyone I like is either dead or washed up, but I really enjoy music that has some meaningful lyrical content. The lyrics don't have to be utterly profound every line, but I like to hear some work put into the words. I like rock and/or roll and its various variants, folk, any guitar-based music, really. | 5 | [
{
"body": "Bright Eyes, The Weakerthans, The Hold Steady, mewithoutYou, Modest Mouse, Cloud Cult, Bishop Allen, Why?, Sufjan Stevens, Say Anything. \n\nThose are from a whole bunch of different genres, but I really value meaningful lyrics also, and those are the ones I could name off the top of my head at 2:30am!",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "I'd recommend [The Mountain Goats](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPjbloNJQUE) and [The Decemberists](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s25xET4wWI). Both have a tendancy for very literate, rich lyrics. (Also, I cheated a little bit, I linked the Tarkio version of the Decemberist's song. It's the same singer and songwriter, but I can't find the Decemberist's version)\n\nAlso, [Neutral Milk Hotel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcgyKo7vbm4), in particular the album In The Aeroplane Over the Sea. The entire album is about anne frank and the singer's obession with her.\n\n",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Porcupine Tree\n\nI can't tell people enough how amazing this band is, but no one ever listens to me that will take an interest in them to listen for themselves.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "If you're willing to give rap a shot, give Lupe Fiasco a listen.\n\n[Kick Push](http://www.metacafe.com/watch/165494/lupe_fiasco_kick_push/) is one of my favorites.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Check out [The Gaslight Anthem](http://www.last.fm/music/The%20Gaslight%20Anthem). Every one of their songs is full of vivid, imaginative, Springsteenesq lyrics with catchy punk rock melodies to back them up.\n\n*And then I heard it like a shot through my skull to my brain,\nI felt my fingertips tingle, and it started to rain,\nWhen the walls of my bedroom were tremblin' around me,\nThis ramshackle voice over attack of a bluesbeat,\nTellin' me, he's only looking for fun.\nAnd this was the sound, of the very last gang in town.* -- [I'da Called You Woody, Joe](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgWzOElhs0w) (Their tribute to Joe Strummer)",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Have you heard [Murder by Death](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAF2Lq8eRGA)? Amazing narrative storytelling. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I love this topic, I'm all about good lyrics. Mountain Goats, Decemberists & Weakerthans have already been mentioned, but I strongly second those recommendations. Also:\r\n\r\n-Sloan (in particular, Chris Murphy's songs such as Set In Motion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-cCHvJgjIU)\r\n\r\n-Ben Folds/Ben Folds Five http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1R64-ZWVoM\r\n\r\n-Ted Leo & The Pharmacists http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBSxRTJjg9E\r\n\r\n-The Shins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW3Z1W8n2Dw\r\n\r\n-Barenaked Ladies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LvY3B-aECs",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "We came down from the north\nBlue hands and a torch\nRed wine and food for free\nA possibility\nWe share our mothers' health\nIt is what we've been dealt\nWhat's in it for me?\nFine\nThen I'll agree ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "They're not groundbreaking, but I like Mute Math for \"modern adult alternative\" if that's a fucking category.",
"score": 3
}
] |
What is the difference between the imaginary and the real? | Why do we use these two words if nothing can be proved to be real? What is the function of this distinction?
EDIT: Here's an example of what I'm struggling with.
In a vast, circular room, a laser spins such that the point of light it makes on the wall appears to be moving faster than the speed of light. It is clearly imaginary that the point is moving faster than light, yet it *appears to be superluminal*. It is this sort of dilemma that I feel is at the heart of distinguishing the imaginary from the real.
There are things which can easily appear to violate the laws of the universe, but is there a logical structure that can set boundaries on what is real and what is merely masquerading as real? | 7 | [
{
"body": "I'd say it's the level of abstraction we are using, which is essentially an entirely artificial distinction. In one sense, neither the light dot or the laser that makes it are real. In another, both are. The sense in which the laser is real and the dot isn't is, I think, a matter of how we relate levels of abstraction to each other.\n\nIf we take a purely greedy reductionist perspective, virtually none of the things we talk about are \"real\". A chair is just an arrangement of molecules of particular composition and particular postion that fits in a set of such positions that gets recognised as a \"char\" by certain observers. Similarly, a molecule is an arrangement of atoms, which are arrangments of subatomic particles which are arrangements of quarks, and so on down to the lowest level we currently know about. In that sense, pretty much nothing's real. It is all an abstraction of reality taking place in our minds. To the universe, there's no special meaning to particle arranged into chair patterns rather than something else, but because *we* recognise chair-patterns, we abstract those particles (or rather, our low-level *observations* of those particles) to that level, allowing us to apply our knowledge about how chairs behave.\n\nHowever, this doesn't correspond to the normal meaning of \"real\" (and ultimately is a pretty useless way of reasoning about the world). We deal in the world of *aggregate* objects - patterns of fundamental particles, rather than particles themselves, with shortcuts that let us reason about them to decent degrees of accuracy without having to work out what every particle is doing.\n\nActually *working* at lower levels of abstraction is usually useless when things get sufficiently complex. We have no way of comprehending or tracking something like a chair at the atomic level, never mind lower. A huge list of \"atom 1 at position X, atom 2 at position Y\" etc would be meaningless to us - we just don't have the mind-power to reason about things at that level. But, we *do* sometimes want to study things at that lower level - it lets us reason about why higher-level properties are the way they are, and do things that are possible at that level, but not at the abstracted level. We study the cells that make up our body, the DNA molecules in our cells, the proteins in the DNA, the atoms in the proteins. To do that, we need some way to map down and up from higher abstractions to a lower one.\n\nFor that we need *bridging rules* - knowledge about how atoms interact with their neighbours to form larger structures an how those interact in turn until we reach a higher level of abstraction that we can practically reason about when things get more complex. And it's there that I think the distinction beween the \"real\" and \"imaginary\" concepts you give lies. The \"imaginary\" one is a case where the bridging rules break down - where there's no simple mapping from the higher layer to the lower layer.\n\nThus we have an abstraction of a dot of light, and ascribe it certain properties, like \"identity\". However, this abstraction breaks down when we try to drop a layer - there's nothing linking the dot observed at position 1 to position 2 at that layer. This reveals it to be a flawed abstraction if we're going to want to use our other bridging rules about \"motion\" of \"objects\" - an entirely different phenomena is happening here - the dot is not a \"real\" object, nor is it \"really\" moving in the sense we *usually* mean those words.\n\nThis doesn't mean it isn't a useful abstraction - there are other \"imaginary\" concepts that are highly useful. Rather, it's just that they don't map to the same tower of abstraction that we might expect, but rather is something that *looks* like that concept, but does not retain the same bridging rules when we look closer.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "kind of related, I think reality is relative to circumstance. For example, if you do not have $3 for a gallon of milk, then your reality is that milk is not affordable. However, if I happen to have $3, then MY reality is that milk IS affordable.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Guys, I'm starting to get a little worried about this whole Tea Party thing. Please, tell me it only seems bigger than it is... | [Reading](http://www.theweek.com/article/index/104729/Is_this_the_Tea_Party_decade) the [news](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/07/palin-tea-party-speech-ne_n_414965.html), you'd think that Sarah Palin has a chance at becoming a viable candidate as head of the Tea Party. I can't imagine a more frightening scenario. Is there any way this could really happen, or is the media just filling its 24/7 quota? | 6 | [
{
"body": "Personally, I think it's great. It's forcing a schism between intelligent (and actually republican) republicans and the slavering idiots. It *could* reform the republican party... maybe... I hope. But at the very least, it will split the GOP voter base, and scare dems into voting.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "hmmm being president pays $400K a year and is a lot of work, or she could make a few million a year going around being adored and worshipped by the mouthbreathers and not having to answer to anyone....I wonder what she'll do.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I am a Quaker (Religious Society of Friends). AMA | I did not grow up Quaker, but started attending meeting about 4-5 years ago. Back in Virginia I attended a liberal meeting, but ever since moving to Texas I have not found a meeting that I like nearby.
Some interesting tidbits to start you off:
We had a number of agnostics at our meeting.
Almost half of the Friends that I know are hardcore geeks.
There are no priests, pastors, or any leaders.
Quakers aren't Amish and don't dress like the Quaker Oats guy.
| 46 | [
{
"body": "What would you say are the primary beliefs you hold as a Quaker?\n\nWhat's the most common misconception about Quakers (besides the Quaker Oats guy)?",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "fellow Quaker here - or at least i attended meeting from age 5 to age 18.\n\ndo you prefer programmed or unprogrammed services?\n\nalso do you notice that the younger members all like to kiss each other a whole lot??",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Is it difficult to practice? It seems to me like being a Quaker would take a lot of patience. But I am not super familiar with the faith. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "What about being a Quaker makes it better than just not going to church at all?\n\nWhat ages are most of the members?",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Do you have any feeling about Richard Nixon (positive or negative) that you might not have if he wasn't also a Quaker?",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I don't know that I would consider myself a Quaker, but if I was anything, that's what I'd be. My mother is a Quaker, and she took me and my siblings along to Arch Street Meeting in Philadelphia for about 6 years, after which we moved to New Jersey and ran into the same problem you did in Texas.\n\nHow did you initially become interested?\n\nIt sounds like you attended an unprogrammed meeting in VA. Are there more programmed meetings in Texas? How many different meetings did you try there?\n\nHave you ever been to any gatherings or retreats?",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I went to three secondary schools, what the American’s call high school. The one I loved the most was a Quaker run school as it had the most rounded curriculum",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I live in eastern PA, there are Quakers all over the place. Best version of Christianity out there in my opinion. A lot of humanist services are now done like Quaker meetings. People just stand up and talk. Good stuff.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Reddit, I'm sick of this. Why can't I orgasm? | I'm female, in my early 20's; and I've been having sex for several years.
Nothing has worked. Vibrators, showerheads, oral sex, manual stimulation, and even plain old fashioned sex. Nothing. Oh, it feels good and sometimes gets intense, but it never peaks anywhere. It doesn't work the same way every time. What will feel good once doesn't always do anything for me the next time.
My boyfriend and I have a pretty healthy sex life. The sex is good, I just feel like I'm missing a level of satisfaction because I have no final release.
Any suggestions? | 18 | [
{
"body": "One: Women are different. Some women have a really hard time having an orgasm their whole lives. You might be one of them. If you're still enjoying sex then that's good though. \n \nTwo: Women peak sexually later in life then men do. Even in your early twenties it may be a year or two before your body is really ready to have an orgasm. Yeah it sucks I know. \n \nThree: Are you on any medications whatsoever? I'm not just talking about psychoactive medicines, but also birth control, even regular allergy pills, anything at all. If you are, it might be the medicine. \n \nFour: Are you anxious during sexual activity? Are you really really trying for this orgasm that won't come? Anxiety kills orgasms. That might be part of the problem. \n \nFive:.... ..... actually I want answers and responses from the first part before I start digging for any other things/offering solutions.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "Maybe there's this really giant orgasm lying dormant inside you, and when it goes off...look out muchachos!\n\nI'm with captaincromwell, just have some fun with it and you'll get there.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "After reading all the comments here is my advice:\n\nOnce you are off the pill eat a rare steak then have butt sex with a stalking redditor as you ride a sybian that you truly love while visualizing Yellowstone's Old Faithful geyser erupting.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "2 fingers in with your palm on the pubic area and fucking [go at it like this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMC8XYX5Ot0)",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "[testosterone patch for women with low libidos and/or trouble reaching orgasm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrinsa) *\n\n[flibanserin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flibanserin)\n\n*It doesn't appear as if intrinsa will be released to market but that doesn't prevent you from getting a very low dose of testosterone gel (androgel) from your doctor.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I highly recommend [Sex for One](http://www.amazon.com/Sex-One-Selfloving-Betty-Dodson/dp/0517886073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262938192&sr=8-1) by Betty Dodson. \nChances are by this point it's a mental thing. And the more pressure you put on yourself to have an orgasm, the harder it'll be to give yourself one. \nTry and be more present in your body -- focus on how it feels instead of how much you wish you could come -- and try to get out of your head a bit! (Easier said than done, I know... but at least it's fun to practice!) ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Try [this](http://www.sybian.com/index.html?set=yes) \r\n\r\nAnother option is [this](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16896630001&cm_re=hitachi_magic-_-96-630-001-_-Product)",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "You guys should really try this after having normal sex. This apparently works for many women. However, I have not been lucky enough to have the chance to try it on anyone myself.\n\nwww.redtube.com/15878\n\nI have heard it works wonders.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Hey ladies. How do you keep your hairbrush clean? :) | Or how do you clean it? I always get crap on it and it's hard to get off.
Help? :)
Thanks ladies :) | 4 | [
{
"body": "I use the round hairbrushes because I blow dry my hair ALOT. So I just take two brushes and sort of \"file\" them like you would two knives. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I'm guy so this is random. Don't be to grossed out. When I would go to the bathroom (tee hee hee) I would take my sister's brushes out of boredom and just start pulling the hair out of it. In mere minutes I could pull out 90 percent of it and the rest I would use the cheap hair metal hair pieces to get to the hairs at the base. She was so lazy she never seemed to notice her brushes magically cleaned themselves. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
How many of you are as obsessed with Honeycrisp apples as I am? Here is some info on them: | I had this variety for the first time this summer and since then I have been telling everyone I know about them. When I visit people I bring over a few to share. These are the best tasting apples in the world and I want to tell everyone about them so they become so popular that I will be able to buy them anywhere. I never liked apples until I tried this kind.
In case you are wondering, no I don't work for the apple orchard industry, I just have an unhealthy obsession with these delicious fruits. I'm eating one right now.
*edit - [the link with the info](http://www.minnesotaharvest.net/apple_honeycrisp.htm) | 13 | [
{
"body": "Oh my god, me too! I seriously wait ALL YEAR for them to come out, and all of my friends are tired of me talking about them. \n\nSO happy to see I'm not the only one. \n\nAnd honestly, these people jabberin' about pink ladies? More like BORING ladies. That's right. I said it.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "honeycrisp are a clear number 2 behind pink ladies. I think they are the perfect apple. I do not believe there could possibly be a better apple.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "You are definitely not the only one! I love these and I don't even care if they're more expensive at the grocery store. If they are available, this is the kind of apple I buy. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Dear Reddit, would you please be kind enough to lend some photoshopping skills for my grandmother? | I feel kind of silly asking, but I'm going to take a chance anyway.
My grandmother is turning 90 years old next month and last week she was diagnosed with breast cancer and given about two months to live. I thought it would be a nice touch if I gave to her a photograph of her husband (my grandfather - who I never met, as he died before I was born) to have by her bedside when the end finally arrives. [This is the only photo of him I have ever known](http://i.imgur.com/TRjY6.jpg) which I scanned. Sorry it is so large.
I was wondering if any Redditors out there who have mad photoshopping skills are able to clean it up a bit and make it more presentable. My family and I would greatly appreciate it. I know my grandmother would too. That is all. Thank you.
**EDIT** Thank you so much, Reddit. You've come through with the goods. I've linked my father up with this thread and he is browsing it now. My whole family sends their gratitude and upmost thanks to you for taking the time to have a go at this. We shall print a few out and frame them, not only for my grandmother but for us. Once again, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. x | 93 | [
{
"body": "Here's my take on retouching the photo.\n\nhttp://imgur.com/ntkHv\n\nIt's 8x10 and 300 dpi. I personally liked the warmth of the sienna tones, so I opted to keep them rather than sterilize it with desaturation. Otherwise, the banding, extra shoulder, and scratches are removed. I also tried to brighten the eyes a little, as they seem to have been dulled in the photo. I hope it helps and wish you and your grandmother the best!",
"score": 90
},
{
"body": "I retouched for a living for a few years. Here's a nice version of it, cropped to 8x10@300dpi so you can print and frame it for her.\nThanks for being such a great grand kid.\n\nhttp://imgur.com/xKkRy.jpg\n\n*Edit: removed an incredibly stupid looking emoticon.",
"score": 62
},
{
"body": "I also don't claim to be a PS expert, but here's [my attempt](http://i.imgur.com/H9hY8.jpg). There's still the banding (from the scan job?) but that'd be a pain in the ass to remove. At least, at my skill level it would be.\n\nIf you like it, the full-size version is [here](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2446255/grandfather.jpg).",
"score": 44
},
{
"body": "This could go one of two ways.\n\n[Good](http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/abam0/help_me_fix_my_last_picture_of_mom/)\n\nOr [bad](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2807838577_83cbed0126_o.jpg?t=1053139).\n\nWe'll see what kind of mood the internet is in tonight. ",
"score": 31
},
{
"body": "Sorry to [add yet another to the mix](http://imgur.com/qW1Rq.jpg), but mine's a bit different - got rid of scratches and so forth, removed the (other person's shoulder?) in the bottom left, but most of all tried to keep the color in the face. It's a personal decision that's up to you. \n \nIt is a wonderful portrait, though!\n\nEdit: Cropped to 4x6 dimensions.\n\nEdit 2: Because [banding](http://imgur.com/YOhz5.jpg) was worth fixing. A little sloppy, but it makes the right illusion.",
"score": 19
},
{
"body": "I've done my share of image retouching work. Here is my go at it: [http://imgur.com/GbWja.jpg](http://imgur.com/GbWja.jpg)",
"score": 17
},
{
"body": "[Here's my effort.](http://imgur.com/p8th0.jpg).\n\nI wish you and your grandmom and your whole family the very best in what is surely a very difficult time.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "http://imgur.com/JmXAk\n\nRemove some scratches, clean up some of the gross defects.\n\nWish I could do more, but I'm not a PS expert at all.\n\nBest wishes to you and your family.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "http://alphapixel.com/data/Grandpa.jpg\n\nI started with glucoseboy's work, since he'd already done a good job on the big stuff. Did dust & scratches filter, some unsharp masking, some hand cleanup here and there and a very light pass of local contrast enhancement (fake HDR) to bring out more detail.\n\nI was trying to use an FFT to knock out those pesky bands in the hair (is that in the original or part of the scanning process?) but I ran out of time. Gotta go to bed. If you want me to work on it more tomorrow, I can probably find a way to kill the hair stripes. Also, a better scan or at least another scan would probably help enormously.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "[How's this?](http://i.imgur.com/fMmBu.jpg)\n\nI fixed everything I could but the waves in the hair--I don't see any way to do that without some intense work. And don't worry, I've already submitted to Photoshop Disasters. :)",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "[after half a dozen filters](http://imgur.com/nXitv.jpg)\n\nthis is probably as good as you can expect though, there's not much color information left in that picture.\n\nIf someone's feeling ambitious, they could desaturate the original, make three copies as separate layers, colorize each layer with red, green, and blue, and try to get a full color image from it. But this is beyond my talents.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I'm sorry to say that I don't have the skills, but I hope someone here can help!\n\nI'm also sorry about your grandmother. I'm glad that she lived a long life and has a loving family to be with her during this time. =) Giver her a hug for me!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "[Here's one attempt.](http://imgur.com/hVDWQ)\n\nIf you want to upload the original TIFF or PNG from the scan, it'd be easier to work with (lots of JPG artifacts in the current version).",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I'm no design-master, but here's [my take](http://imgur.com/XR33E.jpg) on it... a little different from the others posted so far, for better or worse.\n\nEdit: [Here](http://i.imgur.com/He9rn.jpg)'s a version with better white balance (I think).",
"score": 3
}
] |
Any bioinformatics programmers out there? I just started a masters level bioinformatics course and could use some help. | Basically the course is learning PERL and trying to get us to get a grasp of Bioinformatics in 10 weeks (we do the shitty quarter system at OSU). Anyways PERL doesn't seem too difficult, but any tips would be helpful. Also my prof just sprung on us the 2nd day of class that we have to have an idea for out class project by next tuesday, so any ideas on what would be a good class project would be helpful. Note that the project has to be worthy of a 10 page paper. I have a real solid comprehension of molecular biology and genetics but in just three days this professor is making me feel like a fish out of water. Any help would be greatly appreciated! | 11 | [
{
"body": "Not to be too finicky but it's \"Perl\" (the language) or \"perl\" (the program that implements the Perl language) but never \"PERL\".",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Anything that searches for a motif in a dataset is pretty doable. You could look at codon usage of genes versus expression levels (look at recent RNASEQ papers for transcript counts). Or try to define expression level regulatory motifs in the promoter region by looking for enrichment of kmers in highly expressed versus poorly expressed genes. Or look for signs of transmission of viral sequences into human genomes by doing an exhaustive search of the human genome with the small viral genome. I think once you start thinking about it there will be almost too many possibilities from which to choose.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Given perl, studying similar gene sequence from tons of gene sequences in the database given the query gene sequence would be good starting point. When comparing gene sequences, simple dynamic programming is the beginning. And there follows a more fast algorithm like BLAST. Look for BLAST book from Oreilly. That has good material you can read within a short period of time.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I am a physics major trying to get into DIY analog synthesizers and possibly digital ones eventually. Help? | What can I do in order to get a working understanding of designing my own circuits (Specifically what should I read/study)? I can of course design extremely simple ones and do the relevant math.
At this point I am interested in modeling sine, sawtooth, and triangle waves. Square waves are really easy it seems.
Digital synthesizers seem to make use of microprocessors. Is this outside the realm of ECE? | 13 | [
{
"body": "For digital, read up on [DSP](http://www.dspguide.com/) and [electronic music in general](http://crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/techniques.htm).",
"score": 3
}
] |
Ask Australia: Who do you think has been the best Prime Minister and Government in our country's short history? | For me it was Gough Whitlam. The social programs he instituted and the social reforms he undertook really moved Australia ahead as a nation in my opinion. | 11 | [
{
"body": "Gough, free education and health care! Although Bob Hawke lowering the price of beer was pretty good too.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "\"Mark Latham, of course.\"\n\n\"Oh - but he was never Prime Minister!\"\n\n\"I know. That's what made him so fucking good.\"",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "I've only ever known howard and krudd so I'm going to go with keating who implemented mandatory super, floated the aussie and started the reforms for our financial system that just weathered a global economic meltdown.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "I would say Ben Chifley:\n\n- Pharmaceutical benefits scheme\n- Snowy Mountains scheme\n- opening Australia to post-war immigration\n- initiatives leading to Australia being able to support a domestic car industry\n- widow's benefits\n- introduction of unemployment and sickness benefits",
"score": 7
}
] |
Expecting income to more than quadruple soon - advice on staying frugal and saving intensely? | I'm expecting my income to more than quadruple over the next 3 months and wondering if any other Redditors have been through this.
I'd like to save a large chunk of money to use as a fund to support emigrating to a different country - ideally would want 15k AUD minimum. I'm hoping that I will be able to be earning roughly 5k AUD per month starting from around April - would love to save that in 6 months or less.
Thoughts?
Thanks! | 18 | [
{
"body": "Take ALL the extra money, and put it in savings. Act as if you DON'T have it. Continue to live as you have, as safely and healthily as you can, until you reach your saving goal, then reward yourself with a modest (10%) \"raise\".\n\nYou've got practice living well with less, keep on!",
"score": 37
},
{
"body": "My income tripled earlier this year.\n\nIt didn't change much for me. I went from saving about 10-15% of my income to saving 50-60%. I spent a bit more than before - maybe 15-20%, but didn't drastically change my spending habits.\n\nThe only thing that really made a difference was that on the occasions when I used to splurge I felt really awful about it, and now I just feel a little bad. The nicest thing about the extra income was not being able to buy more things, but being given the freedom to work less and being less stressed out by mini-financial crises (like the odd fine or having stuff stolen).\n\nMy habits didn't change much. I still gave myself a daily allowance after rent & fixed costs were accounted for. I put my allowance up about 15% but still kept roughly within it. Rent was ~25%, my allowance was roughly 25% of income and the rest just went into my bank account.\n\nI still kept the habit of \"saving\" this \"allowance\" for big ticket items like flights by underspending for a week even though strictly speaking most of the stuff could be bought with less than a day's wages (that's what I consoled myself with earlier this week, anyway, when I lost a ticket worth $300).",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "First off, congratulations! My suggestion depends on how you've been feeling about your ability to live on the amount you've been making. Have you been comfortable with your lifestyle at the current level of income? Would you be content to continue living as you've been living? If so, perhaps you can set up something with your bank that will automatically transfer ~75% of your newly quadrupled income to savings. That will maintain the status quo as far as your lifestyle is concerned, while enabling you to build up savings. \n\nIf you've been feeling deprived at your current level of income, or if you've been putting off necessary things (e.g., eye exams, dental exams) because money's been tight, you could make the same arrangements with your bank, but for a lower percentage of your new income. Even if you're only socking away 30-50% of the new income, you'll still be able to amass some decent savings.\n\nBest of luck to you!",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Change nothing. Unless you've been neglecting important things like decent food or dental exams you should be more than capable of maintaining the exact same lifestyle for a few months. And actually if you can keep it up then do it until you have some major life change that requires more money (getting married, having a child, buying a house, etc).\n\nIt's hard to advise you without a little more knowledge of your current situation. I'd venture to guess (seeing this is reddit) that you're younger and just got your first real career-type job somewhere, which in that case you probably have little responsibilities and don't really need to spend more on anything than you were. But if not then things may be different.\n\nThe only other thing I'd say is to pay down debt if you have it. Yea saving for a vacation is great but if you can take the time to eliminate any debt (especially on credit cards) it'll be well worth it in the end.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Keep in mind that your good fortune could end tomorrow. It makes saving much easier when you remember that you might not always have it so good.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Moving from house to apt... advice for my cats? | I'm moving from a big house with a big garden into a 5th floor apt. I have two cats, one is an old tomcat that spends most of his time in bed or dozing in the sun, and he lived most of his life in an apt., but the other one is a 1 yr. old female with LOTS of energy, she spends most of the day chasing bugs, butterflies and all sorts of goodies in the garden... we are moving to the city and we will live in a fifth floor apt., the place is pretty big, almost as big as the current house, but there is no garden, no bugs, no grass... and I feel it might be a big shock for her :(
The place has a terrace that gets a lot of sun, so I'm thinking to make that into a sort of mini-jungle for her, lots of plants and green stuff... but still, going from a 4000 sq ft garden to a 100 sq ft. terrace is going to be a big change... I work at home and I try to spend at least a couple of hours everyday playing with them... so I was wondering if any of you have any advice on what else can I do to make the transition easier for them... I mainly worry because here she doesn't have any limits as for the places she can go -the house is all in ground level, so all windows are always open and she can jump from them to the garden without problem... what can I do to show her that it is not ok to jump from the new windows... :(, or what can I do to make the place safer?
tl; dr... moving with cats from house to apt, suggestions for cat safety and happiness? | 5 | [
{
"body": "If your windows don't have nets or heavy screens, they need to be installed, pronto. Don't rely on her instincts when, as you've said, she's an active young cat. I've a six-month old one myself, and she just doesn't pay attention to where she goes. Or think about a cat asleep in a windowsill and just flopping over. \n\nExperiment with different toys; ours only plays with this specific type of ball (that we randomly got from a friend of the family's toddler- it's really an odd story, as it's a fast food kids' meal toy)- but try to find toys she likes for solitary play as well as for play between the two of you. They might need cat furniture for climbing and perching. The terrace sounds lovely- make it a space for both of you with cat friendly plants and netting to keep them in and birds out. \n\nYou might need to play with her more at first, and if she doesn't already, she might do a lot of charging and sprinting around the house. If it's a smaller space, keep in mind that the cats might be underfoot more than they are now. Best of luck!\n\nEdit:\nHere's a [British company](http://www.flat-cats.co.uk/index.html) that makes something they call Cat Flats for windows.\n[Another source](http://www.zooplus.com/customerpicturedisplay/shop/cats/cat_flaps_nets/cat_nets/cat_nets/127595) of netting - if you're in an area that doesn't have central a/c standard, then these should be pretty easy to find offline.",
"score": 3
}
] |
I am confused about relativity and the absolute reference frame. | I have been working on a thought experiment, and I can't solve it without introducing some kind of absolute frame of reference, which I suspect means I'm doing it wrong.
Imagine a rotating space ship (such as in 2001). Because the ship is rotating, it creates a centrifugal effect and simulates gravity. We'll call this Ship 1.
Now imagine a second ship (Ship 2), identical to Ship 1. Ship 2 is not rotating, so there is no centrifugal effect and no perceived gravity onboard.
When I say Ship 1 is rotating and Ship 2 is not rotating, this would have to be with respect to Earth. But let's now ignore Earth and the rest of the Milky Way.
Why is it that Ship 1 experiences the centrifugal effect but Ship 2 does not? It seems to me that Ship 1 would see Ship 2 rotating, and Ship 2 would see Ship 1 rotating. Without an absolute reference frame, how is it possible to determine who is rotating and who is not? Would passengers of both ships simultaneously experience the centrifugal effect and also not experience it? | 8 | [
{
"body": "Special relativity is about *inertial* frames of reference. There is no absolute inertial frame of reference. A rotating frame of reference is not inertial.\n\nWith respect to rotation there *is* an absolute frame of reference.",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "If I look out the window of ship 1, I'll see ship 2 passing by every so often. Then I'll have to figure out whether I'm rotating or ship 2 is orbiting me. If I'm in ship 2, I'll just see ship 1 rotating.\n\nInteresting that you should ask this. My daughter bought me a book for Christmas, _50 Physics Ideas (you really need to know)_, and the first one is about Mach's Principle, which covered questions like this. The book says that Einstein solved the question of whether or not Earth was rotating or the Universe was rotating around the Earth, by showing that there would be a small force that would cause the Earth to wobble. But that's all it says. I'll have to google it to find the rest of the story.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Are any other Canadian Redditors ripped off at all the sweet tech and software in the States that we can't get here? | Geo-restrictions on videos, pandora, nexus one network support... I'm about an hour from the border, this sucks. | 17 | [
{
"body": "Not a canadian but a european redditor here - and I have to admit: Yes, I am. The \"This video is not available in your region\", no Pandora, no GoogleMap turn by turn-navigation, movie-rental by download being way to expensive and so on really gets me. Sometimes.\n\nBut then I think about mediocre infrastructure, mediocre mobile phone coverage and speed, the insanity of the US banking system, health care, almost non-existing public transport, etc. and that puts everything into perspective. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Yes! For some reason it's not cool to say it (note the backlash over the Macleans' article on this very topic) but I agree. \n\nI mean shit, in the U.S. you can rent movies on your PS3 - only option I have for spur-of-the-moment movie watching is uTorrent. \n\nI'd knock that shit off the second legal options became available. \n\nAs for the Nexus One, keep your eye on Wind Mobile. Their towers can support it, just don't have enough...yet. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I usually stick with whats six months behind anyway. 1 - 2 years if I actually want to pay what I think its actually worth. The latest thing is for suckers. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
I have been watching you & the way you flit them waffles has got me hot. [Pic] | So I got a $5 in my change today, and the following was written on the back:
> Hey Babe,
> This is Drew
> I have been watching
> you & the way
> you flit (sic) them
> waffles has got
> me hot
>
>
>
> DREW -
> 228-
> 555-
> 5555
Pics:
[From my phone](http://imgur.com/K0mzt)
[Scanned](http://imgur.com/tZ5cIl)
I'm in coastal Alabama, the area code is 228, coastal Mississippi.
Should I call Drew and ask if he got any waffle tail?
Edit: Yeah, I know 555's are fake. It's censored so Drew doesn't get ten thousand redditors calling him.
Edit: I'm gonna call tomorrow, I'll let you guys know what happens. | 46 | [
{
"body": "Please call, record the conversation, and post it. \n\nStart off by making vague references, like \"been filling up some holes with syrup lately?\"",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "Hey that's pretty cool, I've never seen a scanned bill before. The security features are pretty sweet. Well that or you have a really shitty scanner, but I'm going with security features.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Does anyone have experience with the Romanian TTC Tokarev? | I've been looking for my first pistol. Something to take to the range and have fun with, that can also double as a decent home defense weapon. Keep in mind I'm working on a college student's budget. I've been reading a bit about the [Tokarev](http://www.jgsales.com/product_info.php/handguns/tokarev/p/romanian-ttc-tokarev-pistol-very-good-condition-/cPath/16_235/products_id/1573) and it seems like a nice little pistol. I'd love to hear some more knowledgeable opinions on this gun, as well as the 7.62x25 rounds. | 5 | [
{
"body": "My advice would be to get a .22LR pistol. It wouldn't be that good a home defense weapon, but being able to build your skill affordably is much more important starting out. The odds are you aren't going to need to use it to defend yourself. A hand cannon that you aren't good with isn't going to help you much in a defense situation either. You can find 500 round bricks of .22 for $20 easily. Any centerfire ammo will be at the least 5x more expensive. Once you've built skill shooting the .22 get a larger caliber gun (but keep the .22).",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Pretty gun, and the price is great- but you will spend so much on ammunition that you should find a pistol in a more common caliber.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Hey r/android, why can't I find google goggles on the android store? | I just switched over with a new phone "Motorola Cliq" and i can't find it on the android market, does anyone know what happened? | 4 | [
{
"body": "Goggles is only available for Android 1.6+ devices. The Cliq runs Android 1.5. You're also missing out on the navigation features in Google Maps too unfortunately.\n\nSupposedly, you'll be an upgrade to 2.1 at some point in the future. Your choices are to either sit tight and wait for it or try hacking your phone. I know the Cliq was recently rooted but I haven't really been following what's been going on with the phone after that.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Im high and I've got the munchies. What are you eating weedit, what? | So today I decided the time had come to get high as shit. I am now high as shit. I have decided in my high state of mind to devise snacks that were healthy. Here's my food list weedit.
1. Humus with pita bread.
2. Straweberries
3. Bananas.
4. Yogurt
5. Ice Cream (must spoil self somehow)
6. Milk | 11 | [
{
"body": "The most fattening thing ever: Two blueberry eggo waffles made into a sandwich with peanut butter and chocolate chips in the middle. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Try this:\n\n[Pirate's Booty](http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/pirate-booty.jpg)\n\nand cheese melted on top in the microwave. Stir it all together so the cheese is everywhere. I use cheddar or colby jack but I'm sure pepper jack and other cheeses would work well too.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Fuck You Carnival: I am thinking of taking a cruise vacation but wanted to find one where you could do some skeet shooting. It won't be with you for sure. | It's not so much their choice to not offer skeet shooting as an activity but the manner they seem to demonize it.
" Much like smoking in public places, skeet shooting lost its appeal and legal standing many, many years ago."
Appeal is subjective for sure, but for legal standing does anyone have any info for skeet shooting being illegal on the sea?
Link: http://www.allaboutcruisesandmore.com/skeet-shooting-on-carnival-cruise-lines | 3 | [
{
"body": "Why would you assume that any cruise line would allow skeet shooting? \nSkeet shooting on a cruise would be awesome, but what wouldn't be is having to hear other people shooting constantly.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Yeah hi. This website doesn't appear to be run by Carnival cruises. It looks like a website that writes about all cruise lines. So why are you mad at Carnival?",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "In the United States there is no legal issue with skeet shooting. But remember cruise ships often enter the waters of other countries, many of these countries outright ban any weapons within their boarders (Which include their territorial waters). It's part of the reason why merchant ships aren't allowed to be armed.\n\nI certainly disagree with the laws but if you're sailing into another country's boarders you have to play by their rules. From that standpoint it's easier to get rid of any activities involving weapons than it is to get into legal trouble of other countries.\n\nI'm guessing most cruise liners probably have the same policies. The laws are moronic but they're the laws.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "It would be fun to do some skeet shooting out on a cruise ship, but I also imagine it might annoy some guests who want to just relax without the sound of a 20g going off every 2secs. Could be solved with a scheduling only during certain hours as well I suppose. S\n\nLegal standings are null and void in international waters. I heard that certain cruises you can do any drug desired as soon as you get out there. Your room will likely get searched once you get back to your port of call but as long as you use what you brought/toss it overboard before then you'll be fine. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Dear reddit, what kind of techniques do you use to help you fall asleep? | I've tried lots of different things to help me fall asleep but nothing seems to work. Leaving my tv on, radio on, reading a book, melatonin even doing a small workout to make me tired but to no avail. And I'd rather not take sleeping pills. What do you guys do to help you fall asleep? | 23 | [
{
"body": "If it's cold out I'll crack open my window. I find it easier to fall asleep when I'm \"cocooned\" and keeping warm in my blankets.",
"score": 26
},
{
"body": "The most effective technique for insomnia is to improve your [sleep hygiene](http://www.umm.edu/sleep/sleep_hyg.htm) (google that phrase for about a billion more links). The basic idea behind sleep hygiene is that you need to condition your body to associate *going to bed* with *falling asleep*. Strategies associated with good sleep hygiene include:\n\n* Your bed is **only** for sleep or sex (masturbation is also okay, and as others pointed out, a great soporific). Do not read, watch TV, eat, text, talk on the phone, or anything else in bed - otherwise you are training your body to be awake and alert while in bed. \n* Do not lie awake for more than a few minutes in bed. If you can't fall asleep in about 10 minutes, get out of bed and go do something else until you're sleepy. Then try again. \n* Keep the same awakening time no matter how much sleep you got the night before, and do not nap during the day. You need to be tired when you go to sleep. Ideally, you want to progress to having the same bed time every night as well, possibly with a short pre-bed ritual (reading on the couch for a few minutes; taking a shower, etc).\n* Do not drink alcohol or caffeine for at least four hours before bedtime. Do not exercise right before bed. Do not watch TV or play on the computer right before bed.\n* Make sure your room is dark enough. Especially avoid 'blue' light, such as what your TV, radio, or computer generates. Cover up the display of such devices if you need to. \n* Make sure your room is cold enough - 67/68 F is nice. \n* Make sure your room is quiet enough, or that you play white noise. \n* Make sure you like your bedding/pillow - get new stuff if you need to.\n* The relaxation techniques others have mentioned (e.g., [progressive muscle relaxation](http://stress.about.com/od/generaltechniques/ht/howtopmr.htm) and similar) are great ideas, but do them *before* bed (not in bed), and then go to bed relaxed. \n* If you take melatonin, take it about 1-2 hours before bedtime. Most people take melatonin too late, such as right before they go to sleep. It needs at least 30 minutes to work. \n* Keep a sleep journal. Log when you tried to go to sleep, how long it took to fall asleep, how many times you woke up at night and for how long you were awake, what time you got up in the morning, how sleepy you felt during the day, whether you took any naps, and how often/how much you drank alcohol/caffeine or exercised. This will be very helpful if the above techniques don't work and you have to go see a sleep specialist. \n\nGood luck and sweet dreams. ",
"score": 21
},
{
"body": "http://simplynoise.com/ - It generates white and brown noise. I prefer the brown. I live next to a busy street and this drowns out the traffic and other noises. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "I listen to the sound of rain. \n\nAlthough I generally love the rain, and get happy when I wake up to grey cloudy skies, when I was little, most nights it would rain out when I was going to bed. I remember falling asleep those nights, without thinking about monsters, or death. \n\nNow I just play my rain sounds through my laptop beside my bed, and muffle the speakers with a cloth. It keeps me relaxed, even if I wake up in the middle of the night.",
"score": 4
}
] |
What I want most from the new series: LESS EARTH! And a few other thoughts... | I'm nervously excited about the upcoming series 5. I've taken Moffat's promise of a return to hard core sci-fi stories as a signal that we're gonna see more space-based stories and less with the Doctor involved with companion's parents and such on Earth.
Basically, I'm fine with not seeing the Doctor on Earth for a good amount of this series. Don't get me wrong, I've highly enjoyed Russell T. Davies run on this series and credit him with bringing Doctor Who back from the ashes. That and I truly believe RTD has a hell of a passion for the character and its history.
However, it certainly was missing a sense of unknown adventure that the old series possessed and I think it was just a little TOO heavy-handed with it's praise of The Doctor. It got the point that every episode what just a new way for "normal people" to praise the magnificence of The Doctor.
All in all, I'm glad that the series is moving on and hope that we'll see a more mature set of storytelling.
| 24 | [
{
"body": "I agree somewhat, I find myself generally bored with episodes featuring past Earth, and to a lesser degree present Earth.\n\nBut future Earth or future of humanity episodes I quite like and can be, and usually are, just as fun to watch as alien episodes.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "No Daleks, please. One whole season without Daleks. Let them stay dead long enough that it's half a surprise when they turn up not-dead again.\n\nMaybe multiple companions for more than one-off episodes and end-of-the-world finales? Mickey's coming into his own and apparently he's schtupping Martha. The parade of pretty ladies isn't unique to New Who, but throw in an Adric or an Ian for a while. \n\nFinally, above all else, I really appreciate the episodes where the main theme isn't \"oh shit, flee.\" \"Run for your life\" was one of the opening lines to the reboot and it's generally worked out as the Doctor regenerates himself younger and younger, but the best episodes are the ones where running isn't an option and he gets to use that big brain for something more than technobabble. It's part of why I was pulling for Stephen Fry to become the new Doctor: I want a main character whose brilliant weirdness extends to gallivanting when normal people would leg it.",
"score": 4
}
] |
I cant stop farting! | I guess I noticed it about 3 months ago... I got strep-throat and was on antibiotics for a week... I noticed I was farting a lot... I thought maybe the antibiotics were upsetting my stomach... but I couldnt be sure... because I have always been a farter... Even since I was a kid... I fart alot.
But recently it has gotten worse... It has gradually increased over the past two months to the point that I fart about every five or ten minutes (if I am in a place where I can get away with it...) especially while I am sleeping... It has gotten so bad that I am tired all of the time from lack of sleep because I wake myself up every few minutes with a deafening flatulence. These arent small farts either... Some have lasted several seconds... Some perhaps ten seconds. The other day I went to take a dump and apparently there was a pocket of methane behind the turd, but the turd got fired from my ass like a potato cannon... The sound was like "FOOOOMP!"
It doesnt seem to matter what I eat... my diet has been inconsistent the past few weeks with the Xmas holidays, but I always have to fart.
I enjoy farting. I think its funny to fart in public places, but I am training to be a massage therapist and it would be very unfortunate if I broke wind while working on a client... Not to mention it is VERY distracting to strain to hold one in while attempting to work.
Whats the deal?
I dont think Bean-o will do much good (but I havent tried it yet)...
AmI dying of fart?
| 3 | [
{
"body": "Try eating yogurt every day, it should be better in a week or two. There are also these pills that are good for digestion, i can't for the life of me remember what they are called, but if you go to GNC they will know but buy them at Walmart, they will be cheaper. (if you live in the US)",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Since we're sharing... My uncle got me a 5 lb. bag of peanuts for Christmas. Since then I've obviously been eating lots of peanuts. They seem to make me fart a lot. Thankfully, I'm almost finished with the bag.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I lived in an African Village for 6 months and since i've been back i'm a serial farter. It was fun at first because i got really good at the [fart game!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSZJJc3T1RQ) but now its out of control. \n\nDo you guys think it's something i need to get a doctor to look at?",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Gas-X and Beano have always helped me, but Gas-X is way better IMO.\n\nps- Do you ever \"cropdust?\" I always get a kick out of it.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Poll: Majority of Germans reject planned tax cuts | The ruling conservative-liberal coalition has continuously faced internal [differences](http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5090736,00.html). Planned tax cuts, parts of which have already [passed parliament](http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5035680,00.html) were agreed on during the formation of the coalition but are being seen more and more as populist and counter-productive since the onset of the recession. It is telling that [rejection](http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fpolitik%2Fdeutschland%2F0%2C1518%2C670734%2C00.html&sl=de&tl=en) of tax-cuts finds support among voters of all political camps.
Can such a (pretty pragmatic) view ever become supported by a majority in other countries, e.g. the US? *sorry for the google-translate-link, couldn't find an english resource as of yet.
Edit: Proper English article about the poll [here](http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100108-24443.html). | 53 | [
{
"body": "Different societies have different level of social cohesion.\n\nFrom what I have read it seems that the Germans are still aware of the economic disaster of the 1930s. This leads to an economic sensibility that other economies ignore.",
"score": 14
},
{
"body": "Yes Germany really does have a love affair with its taxes. And rightly so. I believe it was here on Reddit a few months ago when i read about 60 or so prominent German businessmen with idle cash who were asking Chancellor Angela Merkel to spend it where needed. It really frustrates me that no other country in dire need of financial aid doesnt think like this. grrrr.",
"score": 5
}
] |
Has anyone on reddit won a child custody battle without a lawyer? | **Background:**
My girlfriend left her husband a year ago, but they did not officially get a divorce cause neither could afford it. Well he knocked up another girl and wants out of his marriage so he can be with captain preggo. My girlfriend just received a letter from his lawyer saying to expect divorce papers within the week. Neither of us can afford an attorney, but we're looking at our options.
Note: this is happening in Illinois
**Question:**
Worst case scenario, we cant find a lawyer. does she even stand a chance at getting custody of their 3 year old daughter in a custody battle without a lawyer? Has anyone else done it?
EDIT: [nurseJoc asked some questions here](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/an210/has_anyone_on_reddit_won_a_child_custody_battle/c0iewvt)
* Who has the daughter with them right now? - they are dividing the week in half. It is currently my girlfriends time (until sunday)
* Did he say he wanted custody? - her ex has indicated he is going for full custody.
* Was your GF a stay-at-home mom? - she was a stay-at-home mom during their 3 years of marriage. however, she is now working 2 part-time jobs to take care of her daughter, pay for daycare while she works, and save for a lawyer.
* What was the reason for the split? - She left because he was a bad husband and father. he was controlling and emotionally abusive to my gf, and dismissive as a father. typical 'if i wait long enough, someone else will deal with it' type of parent. she had to yell at him to stop playing video games long enough to give his daughter any attention.
EDIT 2: some people think i'm asking for pity for my gf, i'm really not. the entire purpose of this was to get other peoples experiences, since i know shes not the first who may be forced to go through a custody battle without a lawyer. | 5 | [
{
"body": "I hope some of these will help\n\nhttp://www.illinoisprobono.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.showPracticeArea&practiceAreaID=59\n\n\nor \n\nhttp://www.illinoislegalaid.org/\n",
"score": 3
}
] |
[M]y nuts and my [f]riends tits, enjoy :) | [tits](http://imgur.com/23YMy.jpg)
[nuts](http://imgur.com/I0ItW.jpg)
Let me know if you want more!
Suggestions?
| 29 | [
{
"body": "Blimey, big ones... \nTits and nuts in the same picture? \nAnd I don't mean [this](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-ZxD1-1joWc/SwB8fadgmvI/AAAAAAAAEjs/KchlIrtgCE0/s1600-h/bluetit_whetstone151109_mps.jpg).",
"score": 6
}
] |
[AskReddit] Are there actually any *real* Paid Survey websites on the Internet? | I'm sick of these fake "Make $40,000,000,000 to $160,000,000,000 Per Hour Just By Sharing Your Opinion With Marketing Giants Like Burger King, Pepsi, Sony, & Coca-Cola".. but are there actual ones out there? Does anyone have any good experiences with any certain one? | 8 | [
{
"body": "I've been taking surveys through Pinecone Research (http://www.pineconeresearch.com/). Their registration is not open to the public - actually the only way to register is by praying... literally. The way they open up the registration is by banner ads across the interweb's tubes. If you're lucky enough to see one you better click on it right away and hope they didn't close the registration already! \n\nSince I'm a nice guy though I'll let you (and my fellow redditors) in on a secret. I actually found a much easier way. I found a site called Annika's Newsletter which has a nifty page dedicated to monitoring the Pinecone's registration. You can find it here: http://www.amylynn.org/home/pinecone\n \nI've had both good and bad months. Some months I've made as much as $14 and others only $6 (each survey is worth $3). The surveys usually take me no more than 20-25 minutes. I've actually gotten products sent to my house to test. It's pretty cool getting items to try and then seeing them on store shelves a few months later. \n\nThey pay out through PayPal (and check) VERY quickly. I actually just took a survey on Tuesday and received my payment the next day. If only PayPal didn't take 3 business days to transfer money to your bank account. Bleh.\n\nAnyway, this is starting to sound like I work for them so I'll end here. Good luck fellow redditors! =)",
"score": 5
}
] |
Try this configuration on the PhET solar system simulator | http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=My_Solar_System
http://imgur.com/aLdvL
What starts out as a second moon with a pretty crazy orbit ends up as a planet, only to become a moon again briefly and is then thrown into a very wide orbit. If you run the simulation long enough, it'll probably become a moon yet again, if only briefly.
I just love watching this thing go. Anyone know any other programs like this that are fun to play with? | 7 | [
{
"body": "Try this one. Crashing Galaxies into each other is way cool: http://burro.cwru.edu/JavaLab/GalCrashWeb/main.html",
"score": 4
}
] |
DAE ever look at a simple word and think it just looks weird/not right when you KNOW it is right? | Today my word was "talk". It just looked completely wrong and right at the same time, like two parts of my brain were arguing with each other. If so, anyone (you brain studiers) know why this happens? | 83 | [
{
"body": "the word 'salt' just look wrong. and if you type it out, over and over, in multiple fonts, it looks like it shouldn't even exist as a word.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I do the same thing when I *SAY* a word. \n \n \nI'll say it over and over in my head and even though I know it is spelled/said in that manner I still hesitate saying it just in case my brain is malfunctioning and I'm completely wrong...",
"score": 3
}
] |
I think my boyfriend has had a gay relationship, but has only ever told me about ex-girlfriends. Should I confront him? | (I'm not sure if he reads reddit, so this is a throwaway account, just in case)
I am female.
So I have this tendency to snoop around (I know, I know...), and I found some correspondence between him and a friend, in which he mentions breaking up with "him". He mentions a relationship with a male and not wanting to hurt him.
We've been together for about six months and during this time, he has given me no indication that he has had anything other than straight relationships.
Why would he be open about it with his (female) friend, but conceal the truth from me? Should I ask him about it? What is a cunning way I can bring it up?
I care for him very deeply, but if he's just a gay dude trying to do the straight thing, I want out. I feel like I have a right to know because this is a major part of who he is.
Advice? | 6 | [
{
"body": "Here, let's make this real fucking easy:\n\n* Tell him you want to have a threesome.\n* Take note of the huge smile and two really wide eyes.\n* Lick you lips then say, \"Mmmmm.\"\n* Now, \"With you and another guy going at it then working on me.\"\n* If he now looks like this: ಠ_ಠ he's probably not gay",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "A person's past is their business and their business alone. If he has not told you that he's swollowed the one eyed pocket sausage then one of two possibilities are present:\r\n\r\n1)Your snooping has come to false conclusions. This commonly happens when you go looking for certain types of answers.\r\n\r\n2) For whatever reason he doesn't want to share this with you. It is **NOT** your right to know. It is solely his right to tell you *if* he wants too.",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "Unless this guy knows you snoop around his stuff from time to time and is cool with it, you cant really say much.\n\nTxt Messages are often open to varied interpretation and you have come to suspect something possibly very sensitive to the lad through invading his privacy, if you feel your missing a openness he shares with friends, confronting him and rooting through his personal belongings isnt going to help develop it. \n\nThe best thing to do is to loose the attitude that its ok to \"snoop\" and you may find that that will go a long way towards your boyfriend feeling more comfortable to open up to you about something he's prob v sensitive about, you will not end up strengthening the relationship by revealing you know, cause him knowing your ok with his past relationship will probably raise other issues relating to him knowing you will snoop through his stuff and will want answers for what you find.",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "Be careful, I had a (correct) hunch that a girlfriend was snooping one time so I purposely set up a fake e-mail account to confirm my suspicions and he could possibly be doing the same thing. Also, this is some heavy baggage that you may have dug up; chances are that your relationship is going to take a heavy blow if you confront him. If you're happy and if he seems happy, you should enjoy what you currently have instead of worrying about the past. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "So what? What if you found he had a girlfriend he hadn't mentioned?\n\nMaybe he is bisexual, but he's either into you now or he's not. Deal with that, not the past. His exes are his exes, whatever the gender may be.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "I wont speculate on your boyfriends past relationships. I am just gonna say you ave some trust issues you need to deal with, with your need to snoop that is. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Maybe he's a straight dude who tried the gay thing?\n\nThe reality is that you only have suspicion, and nothing concrete. Your suspicions are based on immoral behaviour (snooping), and it's possible that you've radically misinterpreted the correspondence anyway.\n\nI agree that you have a right to know - particularly if you are serious about him, but he also has the right to tell you when he is ready. I would ask him about whether he has experimented in the past or not, but do not allude to the correspondence you've discovered. Just say things like 'so have you ever tried anything with a guy? what was it like?' etc. It would help *immensely* if you have some similar experiences to share.\n\n\nTl;DR have sex with a girl, tell your boyfriend, ask if he's had sex with a guy.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Pictures from tonight's meetup; it was fun! | *[Pic 1](http://imgur.com/3r3NX.jpg)
*[Pic 2](http://imgur.com/72RZx.jpg)
Many of us were new, so to those of you who haven't attended before, don't be afraid to join us next time! We had a blast! :)
| 33 | [
{
"body": "These people all appear to be attractive, upstanding citizens that I would likely enjoy eating Ethiopian food with.\n\nFun night! I am in the back-left in pic #1.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "We took another photo but it was quite a reject. These two were the best we had. Sorry to the fellow who came late (and stayed late, too), I promise I'll make sure and get you in on the pics next time!\n\nAlso (this warrants CAPS LOCK imo): BLOOD OATH FULFILLED. Woo hoo!",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Yay good times. Would be interested in knowing who's who username-wise, since we all introduced ourselves with our meatspace names. Diagonal bald guy = me.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Ok, so this is the third meetup I've missed due to no money. I'm flirting with the idea of doing one next Saturday since my birthday is on the 14th and I get paid on the 15th. Anyone interested? Maybe bowling at the place on Powell? That way the unfortunately underage people can join in too. ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Thanks for uploading the pics! Mine didn't turn out at all but these are quite good!\n\nHad a blast at the meetup, can't wait for the next one!",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "It was a great time meeting all of you last night. I'm gonna have to say it was a succesful first outing into the public realm of Portland. I'll go again anytime. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Good German, or Russian Punk, Ska or Hardcore? | I've never really ran into much good punk that wasn't in English, and I've wondered what it would sound like in either German or Russian (as I can understand/speak both of these with somewhat of ease)
if anybody knows anything, would love to know, thanks | 6 | [
{
"body": "SS-Kaliert, Pestpocken and Toxoplasma make for great German street punk bands. As for Russian hardcore, Distempter is a band of note. In terms of ska, Next Round make for an interesting listening experience - they're like the Russian Mighty Mighty Bosstones.",
"score": 3
}
] |
What would be the best way to propose an idea to an existing company? | I have an idea for a product that is not currently on the market. I don't have the resources to manufacture the product myself, so instead I think it would be best to give my idea to an existing company in exchange for a percentage of the profits.
I don't know how to contact any prospective companies, nor do I have the legal expertise to prevent them from stealing my idea and cutting me out of the profit.
Is there anything I would need other than a non-disclosure agreement? | 5 | [
{
"body": "Yes, a patent. You should contact a patent lawyer. \n\np.s. they're not gonna pay you shit no matter what they tell you or what contract they sign, and they're gonna ignore your patent. Enjoy your five year legal battle, if you can afford it. Also, welcome to business.",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "I work in retail, manufacturing, and distribution. \n\nYour thought process isn't a bad one. Without an established track-record no major retailer is going to gamble and give you a purchase order, so you'd be best off working with someone that has an existing manufacturing base and distribution channel. \n\nDepending on what the item is you can try to approach such companies at trade shows, for example the Chicago Housewares Fair if it's a housewares or kitchenwares item. It's unlikely that any emails will be returned- a face to face meeting is always the most effective way of getting feedback.\n\nLots of would-be entrepreneurs worry about their ideas being stolen. In general unless you're an engineer and have redesigned something to make it run more efficiently or come up with something entirely new, then your idea probably has been considered by someone along the way already. And frankly the value of an idea itself isn't very high- the trick is translating that into product and creating awareness and demand.\n\nIf you *are* an engineer and have come up with something entirely new then I wouldn't divulge info without having at least submitted patent info.\n\nIf you'd like to bounce some questions off me then feel free to send me a PM.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "unfortunately he's right... i'm trying to start a business right now cause of this problem... do it yourself or don't do it at all... or get hired in a design firm and get pennies on their dollars",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "A disclaimer in any non-disclosure agreement signed with any company will be that they might already have your idea in the works. They steal your idea, throw you out the door, and then their rears are covered because you signed a document saying they might already have come up with your idea. ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Do you look in the eye while talking or only in the end to signalize that it is his/her turn now? | Please share stories and suggestions to fellow "outcasts" that are ostracized for this and similar behaviors. | 9 | [
{
"body": "My friends know never to interrupt me. I talk whenever I want, for as long as I want. Sometimes weeks will go by when the only sound I hear is my own voice.\n\nWhen I want someone to talk, I first draft a script of what I'd like them to say. If they don't recite it exactly as written, I strike them with the disobedience mallet.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Neither. My eyes wander around while talking, I make eye contact for a little while and then look at something else (beverage, food, window, other people in the room, whatever) if only for a second, because staring at people while talking to them is creepy, and so is avoiding eye contact altogether. Middle ground, OP, middle ground!\n\nAFAICT, I've never used eye contact as an signal to indicate when I'm done speaking, this is done either by a short pause, asking an actual question, or saying something that obviously prompts a comment on the other person's part.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Married. One teenager. Unhappy. Feel trapped. Stuck. Interested in being free and seeing other people. Can't do it. | Married for a long time and have one teenager. I am unhappy and feel trapped/stuck. I am bored and tired of the marriage. It feels like it has run its course. I would like to be free and see other people, but I can't do that to my wife and child. I feel like scum for even having these feelings, but it is what it is. I am torn and miserable. | 4 | [
{
"body": "I've seen this movie. You almost score with your teenage daughter's friend, but you can't go through with it. Then your neighbor shoots you after he mistakenly thinks you do gay things with his son.\n\nMaybe you should take up blacksmithing instead.",
"score": 31
},
{
"body": "Are you certain seeing other people is what you really want? If this desire is causing conflict within you, maybe you need to aim just left of the target.\n\nConsider forming new social circles, engaging in new and exciting hobbies (rock climbing, kayaking, guns and target shooting, martial arts) and invite your wife along. She might be as bored as you right now and there's nothing like seeing a person in a radically different environment to refresh your view of that person. Think about what sort of person your wife would seem like if you found out she craved adventure as much as you. Could you see her breaking a 2 x 4 with her fists? Tackling rapids seated behind you in a 2 man kayak with a paddle?\n\nRefresh the relationship by refreshing the nature of the relationship.",
"score": 27
},
{
"body": "I left my wife just under a year ago. We have kids together. Here's why I did it: I felt alone and angry and that anger was coming out. I didn't hit but I yelled and screamed. Basically, I hated the person I had become. I was frustrated and no amount of discussion with my ex was changing it. It affected the way I parent and the way I worked. While I never went to see a doctor about it, I suspect I was even depressed.\n\nBut let me tell you, getting a divorce when you have children is not the easy way out, despite the fact that people say it is. It's fucking hell. The financial mess, dealing with social circles (family, friends), and the emotional fallout. Anybody who says it's the easy way out clearly hasn't done it before.\n\nHowever, now that I'm out, I feel like a better person. I feel like a better father. And that right there, to me, is the most important part.\n\nMy advice to you: talk to your wife and explain how you feel. Maybe counselling will help. Maybe your wife will be cool with you seeing other people while still in the marriage (if you just feel like sleeping around). Communication. ",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Have you communicated this to your wife?\n\nHave you sought personal and couple's counseling?\n\nYou have to ask yourself a few questions. First, why do you feel stuck? What is your family preventing you from doing? Screwing around? That's not much freedom, brother.\n\nChances are you're \"stuck\" because you've set some artificial boundaries. Want a new career? Go for it! Want to travel? Take the whole family on a van trip! Want to go back to school? Do it!\n\nHaving been in this situation before, it sounds to me like your partially blaming your unhappiness on your family. Your family is NOT responsible for your happiness.\n\nLastly, at the very least, consider hanging on for a few years until your kid is off to college.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "There are good reasons for leaving a marriage; like cheating and abuse. \"Unhappy\" and \"stuck\" are things to work on, not reasons for leaving.\n\nHave you done anything to try to improve the situation? My guess is no, since you haven't mentioned them. You owe your wife and child nothing less than a valiant effort in this regard. ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "If you fuck with your child's developmental process (yes, even as a teenager) and scar him/her for life you are a scumbag - *you chose to have him, be man and don't make your problems his/hers.\n\nYou may be going through some midlife thing, or may just need to tell your wife to stop being boring and turn into something you need - like a sex symbol. \n\nLove isn't all about depth after all - it's also about lust.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "What do you have to offer a new partner? You sound like a lousy date, to be honest. Bored people are usually boring. Unhappy people aren't going to make anyone else happy. And trapped people are completely unimaginative. They are the worst kind of people because they don't feel in control of their own destiny. \n\nHere's what I suggest: work on yourself for now. Take up a new hobby. Switch careers. Get in shape. Go see a therapist. Pursue your dreams. Go back to school. Do this for a couple of years, while your child is working his/her way through high school. Take control of your life, become happy and interesting to yourself. \n\nThen either this will relight the flames of your marriage, or prepare you to be a good partner to someone new. As it is now, it sounds like you expect a partner to make you happy, and that's just not how it works. \n\n",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "My parents stayed together and it was 10x worse...things only got better once they split up when I was out of high school.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I have to say, that this is perhaps the best advice I have ever seen in r/reddit. I am really impressed that on an androgenic sort of site like this, to see redditors recommending that you do the right thing. \n\nWe all get tired, bored, frustrated. We don't all ruin the lives of others to indulge it. Some of us man up and do what needs to be done. You should feel like scum. Get your ass to counseling, now. \n\nAs someone that has dated divorced men, one of the questions I always asked before it went too far was \"why did you get a divorce?\" If I heard what you said, things like \"we grew apart,\" or \"we fell out of love...\" I knew to hightail it out of there as fast as my legs could carry me, because those men lacked the skills necessary to make a marriage/long term relationship work.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "It may simply be your mid life crisis. This is incredibly common. So common in fact that I suspect virtually every man goes through it. From your description it sounds like you may well be in the mid life crisis age bracket.",
"score": 3
}
] |
Post your L4D2 strategies, hints and tips! | I'm relatively new at the game, and have been playing online quite a bit. In this short timespan, I have learned one or two basic tricks that may not seem obvious at first. Perhaps, with the help of the /r/gaming community, we can turn this into a helpful resource for new and experienced L4D2 players alike.
Some tips:
* When you're about to leave the safe room - if there are an excess of Healing Packs that are just going to waste - heal yourself twice and grab a third(unless your particular server's netiquette frowns upon this sort of thing), it's not as if you're coming back for them (obviously not applicable to Hard Rain).
* When playing as the Boomer, make sure you spawn at the last possible second. You are extremely easy to kill, so make sure you ambush the survivors or puke on them before they see you. You can also be a Boomer Bomb - jumping from a high place and landing on the survivors, exploding and covering them in puke. It is really only worth while puking on survivors when there are a lot of infected around (either during an incoming attack, or during car alarms, etc.)
* As the Smoker, try to pull the survivors into the Witch. Make sure you put the Witch between yourself and the survivors - this might cause one of the survivors with an itchy trigger finger to shoot at you, thus startling the witch.
* (This is UNCONFIRMED) When playing against the AI, if you see a Jockey heading towards you, try crouching - from my experience it appears that the AI Jockey does not jump on your face whilst you are crouching (please tell me if this is incorrect).
* As the Spitter, if your spit is recharging and there is a incap'd player, go stand on top of them - if they or their teammates kill you, you're still going to leave them lying in a pile of burning shit.
* During the Hotel section of the first campaign (as well as the Bridge finale on the last), the Charger can be used to knock the survivors out of the windows or off the ledge, allowing for an insta-kill.
* When playing as the infected, there are certain parts of some maps where the survivors are unable to go back once they have crossed a certain point. Use this to your advantage - if one survivor lingers behind, be sure to pull him back (use the Jockey or Smoker to get him as far out of range of the other survivors as possible), this way the other survivors will not be able to assist him.
* As the Hunter, try going for a straggling survivor instead of a leader - it is more of a bitch for the survivors to go back, instead of carrying on forwards, and gives your teammates, as well as the horde, more time to inflict damage on the survivors as they spend more time between safehouses.
* When riding a survivor's face as the Jockey, try and keep out of range of the other survivors (either by going under a staircase, or around a corner, etc.) - the longer you can refrain from getting shot off, the more damage you will do. Jockeys are also useful for leading a survivor into Spitter goo, or fire, or into an alarmed car. Also remember that falling damage is great - try get the survivors to fall off the roofs of buildings. You cannot (as far as I am aware) get an insta-kill as the Jockey - if you pull a survivor off a ledge that would cause them to fall to their death, they will be able to grab on and hang out until another survivor can come to their aid. This is, however, a useful way to incapacitate stragglers.
I hope some of these tips come in handy - you may already be aware of all of them, and you may think some of them are just silly or painfully obvious.
EDIT: thought of a few more... | 36 | [
{
"body": "- As a hunter, if you are having trouble targeting a lone survivor then it's often better just to dive into a group of survivors and then die instantly as you at least provide a distraction that the other infected can capitalise on.\n\n- As a hunter, simply jumping about and then hiding in a random fashion (but not pouncing) in plain sight of survivors is a great way to distract them for other infected to attack.\n\n- As a hunter, because of the massive damage of his pounce claw attack, sometimes it is better to pounce on an already incapped player ONLY if there is a good chance you can kill him quickly or if his teammates are far away and he will die by the time they get there. Great way to eliminate one player. This tactic should only be used if you are sure it ends in a kill - otherwise it is a waste.\n\n- As a Spitter, spitting acid on a person that has boomer bile on them is great as they will find it difficult to move out of the way due to to having to fight off all the attacking zombies.\n\n- As a Spitter, with some practice you can arc your spit over roofs and walls you so they don't even see it coming.\n \n- As a Jockey, actively look for ledges or roofs that you can push survivors off that will not only injure them, but will make them backtrack. The is no point in pouncing into a tight group in open areas.\n\n- Beware of survivor AI. If you are fighting a team and one of the survivors is an AI then try and kill him first as they are always very aware of your presence, they shoot on sight, they always come back to help downed survivors and some teams are less likely to come back and rescue the AI or heal them up.\n\n- As a Boomer, after using your bile attack there is no sense in waiting around for it to recharge as it takes too long and the survivors will have moved by then. I find it better to jump right into the middle of group and claw at them in hope of one of them shooting me and getting covered in more bile. It makes them panic and some will even try to bash you away, but in the ensuing chaos one of them is bound to kill you and get bile'd.\n\n- A Boomers and Spitters are a great way to provide a \"wall\" or obstruction for another infected. Say a smoker or hunter has a lone survivor and the others are coming back to rescue him. Using the Boomer as an obstruction is great as with some luck they will panic and shoot you - once they are covered in bile it will delay the rescue. It also helps if you stand near the downed survivor as they will get covered in bile too.\n\n- If you spawn as the Tank, do not panic or get too excited and rush head first into battle. The survivors know you are coming and may be ready with a molotov. Wait a little while, just say out of sight - this will drive them crazy, they might even throw the molotov in a random direction in hope of hitting you. Attacking them is best when they don't even see you coming - perhaps when preoccupied with another infected.\n\n- As the Tank always check if there are any cars nearby you can punch into them. Cars are excellent because you can use them as a solid shield also 1 hit from a car is an instant knockdown.\n\n- As a Tank (should be obvious but I see many people don't do this) if you have a guy cornered and he is orange or red, keep pounding him till he goes down - don't switch targets. I don't mean standing over an incapped player pounding away - that is pointless. Once you down a player move on. Don't bother chasing green targets, you will not catch them.\n\n- As the Tank, beware of melee weapons - they are kryptonite. Only 10 or so hits from a police baton will kill you! If you see a team all switch to melee weapons then get the fuck outta dodge and hide on a roof. It may seem cowardly especially for a Tank, but this team has their shit down and will ruin you in no time. If you go head first against them you might get a punch or 2 before dying, but it's not worth it.\nIf you get set on fire you have about a minute before you die, if this happens just go apeshit as time is now against you.\n\nedit: fixed confusion about Tank tactic.",
"score": 21
},
{
"body": "Some notes on your points... anything to help me reduce the chances of getting a team full of morons in VS:\n\n- The 'Boomer Bomb' as you call it can be extended to what I call the 'Flying Fatman'. You may have noticed that while you're a ghost you can move faster than a live boomer, and faster than the survivors even. Use this to your advantage by building up to full speed on a roof, jumping to preserve your momentum about 5 feet in front of the edge, and then clicking to spawn just as you leave the roof. If you time it right you should be out of sight, midair, and at full ramming speed. This can help you land directly in the middle of the survivors instead of near their sides where you're still a fairly easy kill.\n\n- Sacrificing yourself as a spitter is a fairly bad plan. Dying on top of a downed survivor only does 30-50 (not exact numbers, but close enough) damage out of their 300 health. If you can, hide around the corner instead and wait for one of their teammates to help them up to attack. Right clicking to melee the downed person will stop the rescue attempt, and you still die on top of them doing the same amount of damage you would have simply sacrificing yourself. Keep in mind though that the downed survivor has THREE HUNDRED HEALTH. Try to die not directly on top of them, but where the person who was helping them up was standing.\n\n- Chargers have many opportunities for 'death charges'. Any level with a ledge provides you the opportunity, though it may not always be obvious. Dead Center's first level is notorious for being filled with the obvious ones. There's at least one wide open ledge that the survivors cross, and a wise zombie can alter their path by breaking down burning doors to force them on to another. Chargers can also charge people out of 90% of the windows on this level for a quick kill. From memory, there's the first window at the very end of the first hall, the window in the supply room by the ledge, any of the windows on the ledge itself, the three windows in the following hall, the three windows in the hall beneath that, the second (though rarely visited) ledge, and the final opportunity: the window right outside the elevator. Chargers also have a mechanic where they knock back survivors after they've grabbed one. The distance and height of this knockback is based on your charge distance, so a careful charge for full distance can sometimes send someone clear over a fence. Use this to your advantage.\n\n- Something I haven't seen mentioned yet about hunters is the fact that they do bonus damage based on the height of their pounce, for a maximum of 25 damage. You can instantly incap someone in the red by picking a nice, high roof and being accurate. Hunters can also turn mid air to an astonishing degree, and this can be combined with its walljumping ability making for some pretty advanced techniques. Check youtube for sweet hunter tips. Oh, and to the people saying to just jump on them in a pack to distract them for 3 seconds: DON'T. Go for a damage pounce if you're not going to rely on your awesome ability to take someone out of the game with a click while they're team is distracted.\n\n- Jockeys go last 99% of the time. They're worthless unless the other team is very distracted and slow enough at reacting for you to pull their teammate far enough to be in danger.\n\n- Boomers have a knockback, remember this near windows and ledges and line up accordingly.\n\nMY BIGGEST POINT:\n\n- RUSH LIKE A MOFO and STOP YELLING AT PEOPLE WHO DO LIKE THEY'RE BAD! In campaign, the SI come slowly and only a few at a time. In VS, they come every 30 seconds or so, and sometimes with enough incappers to take out your whole team when playing perfectly. The damage you take and how well you do is DIRECTLY related to the number of spawns the other team has. If you decide to open that side door, wander out of sight from your teammates, and explore the closet, you're more than likely going to get owned by a zombie. Now your entire team has to stop, look for you, walk backwards, and possibly help you off the floor. But that pipe bomb was worth it, right? Ugh. Another scenario (seen it many times) that shows why you should rush: boomer spawns in closet in front of pipe bomb, your team runs past and closes the door, boomer is now stumped and breaks down the door, boomer is now far behind your team, but keeps following you because they don't know that you can run away from the survivors and hit E to respawn, and you have now effectively removed an infected from the team for as long as they're trying to keep up with you. There is no way in hell that whatever was in that closet, pipe bomb or health pack or whatever, was worth more than having your team boomed and put at risk or worth more than removing one of their teammates from play. I've had a team run through entire levels only seeing three or four SI because they couldn't make a plan, get in position, and execute it as fast as we could locate the door and move on to the next room. Rushing is all about ignoring normal zombies, and recovering quickly enough from the specials that you can leave them behind.\n\nHTH",
"score": 12
},
{
"body": "* Learn to use the Spitters odd spit trajectory, it travels along a straight line for about 100 yards, and then makes a 90 degree dive. This limits your range, but allows you to hit targets out of LOS.\n\n* If you're in a safe spot as spitter, and there's a incapped survivor on the ground, wait for someone to be in range/helping him, then spit. Either this buys you some time, extra damage or if the survivor doesn't notice in time, incaps a second player.\n\n* As a Smoker, drag people across ledges. Can result in fall damage or isolation. Both are very bad. Bridge in Parish and Mall in Dead Center are great for this.\n\n* Don't be afraid to walk back and press E as infected to go into spawning mode again. Helps you reposition, and the survivors most likely won't expect you. Spitters and Smokers are great for this.\n\n* As a charger, if you miss your target, keep melee'ing survivors. You have quite abit of HP and your punches hurt. Same goes for pretty much all special infected if you can't get away from the suvivors. Hunters can try to pounce away.\n\n* Smokers do slightly more damage when they can reel in the survivors completely, but this requires you to be on the same level as the survivors, so generally, this isn't a good idea.\n\nFor survivors \n\n* Never have your team go full shotgun. It might be a great weapon at close range, but ineffective in medium and higher.\n\n* Bile is your friend, more often than not it works better than pipebombs.\n\n* Close doors. You might give infected a additional place to spawn, but by the time they're through the door you'll be long gone.\n\n* When playing scavenger, spread the jerrycans out when throwing them down, lest a spitter will eat them.\n\n* If your teammate(s) are equiping melee weapons in spawn, scan the ground for a second pistol.\n\nOfcourse, I might be wrong. I'm not exactly a pro myself.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "My Top 5 Tips.\n\nFor infected:\n\n1. Never attack alone, unless there is a major straggler, you can get an instant kill, or you are a boomer who can slow the survivors giving the rest of your team time to spawn at an opportune moment. \n\n2. Learn all the instant kill & instant incap spots on the maps.\n\n3. Never rush in as tank, unless the survivors are boomed or cornered, or otherwise distracted. Incap the guy with the molotov first.\n\n4. As spitter only spit when a survivor is boomed/pounced/stuck in a small room. Anything else and you are wasting time. Stay alive as spitter as it recharges quickly.\n\n5. Scratch low health survivors, it is quicker than a regular attack and you don't get stuck on the one you have incapped.\n\nFor survivors:\n\n1. STAY TOGETHER, getting split up is the #1 reason why teams fail. Only time you should spread out is if there is spit incoming, or a charger can take down several on stairs at a time.\n\n2. Use voice comms or binds if you are pounced/pulled/boomed. There is nothing worse than a player who is pulled back by a smoker but doesn't relay this to the team.\n\n3. Use melee weapons if possible, they tear through common infected.\n\n4. Prioritize killing infected, chargers first, hunters second, jockeys third and smokers last. If you can kill a boomer so only you get boomed do it, it is usually safe. Spitters leave a trail, probably the only infected its worth chasing as they are easy to kill and do a lot of damage. Kill hunters, dont push them off.\n\n5. Learn the instant kill points on each map so u dont get caught out.\n\n6. Dont be slow / waste time, the longer you take to get to the saferoom, the more attacks the other team can get in. Rush as much as possible.\n\n",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Garden Gnome achievement :\n\n* On the second to last level at the very end where you have to fight endless zombies down that long, long pathway, before you ever get to that part you can throw the gnome over the fence so that he's about 5ft from the safe room door. This makes running that gauntlet much easier.\n\nWhen the guy wants you to go get Coke from the store :\n\n* Have 3 people wait on top of the bushes. One guy runs in, gets the Coke and throws it up to them.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "**General Hints**\r\n\r\n* Turn on full subtitles in options. It might take a little to get used to the messages being in your field of view, but the benefit is you always know what is going on. You will see messages such as [Hunter Warning], [Tank Growl], [Witch Moan] before you may even hear them.\r\n* If you can play with surround sound, do it (the louder the better). If a hunter growls behind and to your left, you will for sure hear exactly this and be able to run the correct direction to avoid a sneak attack.\r\n\r\n**Dead Center Expert - Atrium**\r\n\r\n* Have 2 guys go to the 3rd floor while the other 2 go to the 2nd floor. The 2 on the 3rd will toss down the 4 cans up there, then run down and fill up the car as normal. This allows you to have the car full **before** the tank spawns. Being able to avoid the tank makes the level much easier.\r\n\r\n**Scavange**\r\n\r\n* Always try to grab a shot before the round. Some levels only have 2 available, but at least make sure those 2 are taken. While it is useful to be able to fill the tank faster or run thorugh a horde, the most valuable part of it is using it to pick up downed teammates quickly. \r\n* Try to coordinate an attack with the spitter at the generator. This means the spitter shouldn't spit early, and the attacker shouldn't jump the gun. If timed correctly, you will knock the can out of their hand at the generator and it will catch fire. Not only is the survivor taking damage from you, but also the spit and the fire. A burning gas can wastes a lot of time.\r\n\r\n**Do not play without a mic! We all hate you if you do!!**",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Without trying to repeat information...\n\nSurvivors:\n\n* Cover - from above, in front of you, and behind you - it's all good. Stay out of the open as often as it's a possibility. Getting boomed, pounced, charged, and smoked become a very dangerous proposition when you're in the open. Spitters and Jockeys can capitalise on any separation and weakness as well if things go alright for the infected. Only thing you have to worry about it spitter goo. \n\n* Speed is the only way to roll. If you get held up, the only way out is through so get it over with and push. The infected only have to wait, but as long as the survivors are fast and can react quickly enough, you should be fine. Waiting only ensures the infected are as well set up as possible. \n\n* Melee weapons. They absolutely smash the pistols in usefulness. Running through hordes is a breeze and you can pretty much never be held up by them again. edit: except in Dead Center 1. 2 melee, 2 pistol users should work nicely. \n\n* It's obvious, it's been said, but stick together. \n\nMost important thing that 90% of players fail:\n\n* BE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU, AND REACT WHEN YOU NEED TO. Hear something funny? React as soon as possible, whether it's shooting a hunter who's just jumped a teammate, letting the team know there's a charger behind the wall up ahead so you can kill it/trick it, etc., and just being quick in general. It's not only about making it to the saferoom as soon as possible, but also hearing that smoker as soon as possible, and killing that boomer as soon as possible, and so on - as long as it's relevant. Speaking of...\n\n* Relevance - if something is off in the distance and can't hurt you, don't waste time chasing it if you can't kill it in a matter of moments. Ignore it and move on. \n\nInfected are all about being sneaky and trying to cause as much damage as possible, which usually means separating the survivors and preying on people who are alone, or causing a distraction so that they can't help anyone who does get pinned. Also, learn the insta-kills and points of no return. \n\nIf I have to use bullet points...\n\n* Distraction\n\n* Separation\n\n* Instakills\n\n* Points of no return\n\nSo unless you know you can cause a lot of damage on your own, never attack the survivors when they're bunched together (i.e., not separated), are not distracted, and you can't instakill or strand a survivor at a point of no return. Very important stuff. Don't go pouncing for 1 damage as a hunter on them like that. Wait for more infected. ",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "As a jockey, if you jump on your victim and lead it to some hidden place, press LMB. You will kill it faster, but beware - at the same time you can be killed faster.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Good job. I sometimes see some veterans not do some of what is in your list. I rarely see people sit next to an incapp'd player when they know they are doomed. As for the boomer bomb, I thought that was taken out a long time ago. I'll have to check again. \r\n\r\nGuys when you list tips, make sure you mention the mode its for. Vs is very different from campaign expert.\r\n\r\nHere are some things I notice pubbies often don't know.\r\n\r\nExpert\r\n\r\n* When a tank starts his throwing animation, run perpendicular to the throw and CHANGE directions. ZIG ZAG. I see alot of people continue moving in the same direction to find cover or hope that they will somehow outrun the throw. YOU WILL NOT OUTRUN THE THROW. CHANGE DIRECTIONS. Jump right before the rock hits the ground to avoid possible splash damage (unconfirmed).\r\n* When using a shotgun, take your team. Don't fire immedaitely when your target is lined up. Fire when you can take out multiple enemies in a single shot. Don't be afriad to let the infected get close. If one gets close, bump him and wait for another infected to get behind him. Take your shot then. Alot of times I see people taking out 2 or 3 infected with 6 shots from the auto shottie at medium range. This could have been done with one shell. You can take out a huge group fast with only 4. \r\n* Always have someone on the team with a shotty. Make sure he NEVER wanders off by himself. The guy with the shotty is responsible for taking out any SI that attack in close range. Nothing takes out a charger (2 point blank shots), hunter/jockey (1 close up shot) than a shotgun. \r\n* When bumping, try to hit the bump early. Anticipate when you want the push back to actually happen. The earlier you initiate the push, the faster you recover from it and can fire immediately after. \r\n* When using a shottie, try to ALWAYS reload after every shot (remember to give enough time to let the reload animation to start). Make it a habit to do. Try to always leave a shell in the chamber to. Try to never empty it out because after you reload you have an extra animation to do.\r\n* When using rifles, accuracy first. A carefully aimed headshot is much faster than body shots on a far away smoker.\r\n* Try not to shoot through the tank if there is a teammate on the other side. You may hit your teammate. \r\n* When covering, SHOOT FROM THE OUTSIDE IN. If a tank is chasing after a teammate and is headed towards you and the corner you are next to (lets say it is to your left for this example), let the bait hug the left wall when running towards you. The shooter should give the right of way to the guy being chased and lay fire from the right. If you shoot from the left, you have to stop shooting to let your teammate pass. The guy being chased should be given the right of way to the shortest distance to the corner, not you. \r\n* Never ever go for the immediate rescue. Only rescue when it is safe to do so. I can't tell you how many times I've seen idiots perform a rescue and have the guy be incapp'd immediately because they did it in the midst of an on coming horde. Having an incapp'd played also has its advantages. They serve as a great distraction for the horde.\r\n* If you see an incapp'd played very far below you, you can jump towards them and rescue them in midair and you will not suffer or suffer less from falling damage (actually, this might not be true in l4d2 but I think it is).\r\n* Take the deagle!\r\n* Your team should always have a fallback point or room to stuff into in case of a horde. Always designate an oh sh1t room or area when walking around. \r\n* Use 1 grenade per horde. Always tell your teammates what you are throwing and when. 2 pipe bombs at once is almost always a terrible idea.\r\n* When you are in an area where the horde has to climb to get you, relax. If the horde has to climb a ladder to get you, stand over the ladder and block them. Look out for smokers and take care of the horde last. Sometimes you can even kill the horde by goomba'ing them. You can actually kill infected by jumping on their heads. Its rare but it happens. When they climb up ladders and hit your feet, sometimes they die. Its a funny way to rack of kills. \r\n* When fighting a tank, if the tank is running after you, don't worry about shooting back. Let your teammates do it. Only attack when you are in a safe position. Running backwards and shooting without regard to your surroundings is for n00bs. \r\n* Always figure out the best way to take out a special in the situation you are in. There is no universal way to do this. If someone is pounced close by and you have a shotty, shot them at the minimum distance for a 1 shot kill. If he's close enough to bump, bump. Using pistols on a hunter from up close is never a good idea. \r\n* Try to always keep at least 1 defib on hand, even at the expense of a healthpack (unless your team is very good). If someone is b&w, it may be best to take them out and defib instead of using a health pack. \r\n* Realize that hitboxes have been modified to prevent people from stacking in a corner to bump and shoot. For instance, if someone finishes climbing a ladder up and immediately encounteres resistance and starts firing, do not climb up and help. If 2 players occupy the same space, they will cause each other weapon damage. This should never happen though since you should only dismount ladders after looking around and go back down if you see resistance you can't handle without getting hit. \r\n* Settle down when the tank comes. People always make to more of it than it really is. Remember, its actually fairly easy to evade a tank if you are in the gree. Having said that, when you hear a tank, make sure you can run fast. Make sure you have a plan of attack (defense). Try running circles around an object. The tank will have a hard time reaching you and if he climbs on top of the thing you are running around, shoot him while he performs his slow climb animation.\r\n\r\nInfected tips (universal)\r\n\r\n* Be patient and coordinate. Alot of the time I see people just panic and attack to slow down the survivors. Panic attack only when you are sure it is to your teams advantage to (distract so others can spawn).\r\n* You would be surprised at how short of a distance you need to be to spawn by the survivors. All you have to do is hide behind something. Even fat boomers only need a beam for cover.\r\n\r\nBoomer\r\n\r\n* Try to boom from a different level (below or above). This will give you an easier chance to find cover after the initial boom to recharge. If you are above the survivors, if you get desparate, you can use the BOOMER POUNCE and drop down when the survivors are distracted. \r\n\r\nHunters\r\n\r\n* Should always try to go for the big pounce if the survivors are bunched up. Since they are so much more vulnerable, it doesnt pay to just jump into a group and get shot or knocked off immediately, in fact, don't waste your pounce\r\n* If you see a group near a ledge, go a head and pounce and hope the force of the pounce will knock someone off the ledge\r\n* Remember, you can jump off walls for more damage goodness\r\n* Be patient!\r\n\r\nCharger\r\n\r\n* Its not always best to try to mow the most survivors down in one charge. When charging, try to do so when knocking people off ledges or windows, move someone far away from the group. Charging through the whole team doesn't really do much\r\n\r\nSmoker\r\n\r\n* Always do your best to smoke in a safe area. Smoking someone from a distance is useless if you get taken down immediately by rifles. \r\n\r\nJockey\r\n\r\n* Try to attack from above\r\n* Try to get the last remaining guy. Let the charger or boomer get the first, let the smoker/spitter/hunter get the second/third and try to get the last. \r\n* Never attack first. The jockey is the worst to lead off with. He is very good at getting the 2nd to 4th man though.\r\n\r\nTank\r\n\r\n* Don't be afraid to lose control. A real team worries about the success of the team not the individual points of themselves. If the suvivors are turtling, try to attack from the rear. If you can't just wait and let your teammate take control. Sometimes its not a bad idea to let the AI take control of the tank either.\r\n* DO NOT RUSH IN AND ATTACK. Try to give your teammates time to spawn before you do anything. Try to get a boom going before you attack. If you can, the best way to use a tank is to throw rocks at a distance and let your teammates weaken the survivors.\r\n* If you see a survivor with a molo, try not to attack. Let your teammates scout for you if they can to see which survivors are carrying fire and which arent. \r\n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I play a lot in all modes\n\nI will speak on Projectile Tactics....\n\n* **Molotov** - If caught by a Boomer bile or during a horde it is best suggested that you throw a Molotov on the ground and run to a safe spot. I find this tactic very useful when one of the survivors are down or your fighting a lot of horde at once.\nMolotovs can also be used for setting infected on fire to kill them slowly, this kills them and also panics the infected a lot into coming out in the open for an easy shot (look for something on fire and shoot)\nI like to use Molotov at choke points as well, they provide cover when your stuck in a wide area, its like a little cavalry holding down the line while you cover your other lines of sight. (works good in the dark carnival and hard rain campaigns)\n\n* **Pipebombs** - These can be used in any situation, best is when a horde or Boomer bile. I like to toss a pipe in a secluded area ONLY WHEN HORDE HAVE POPULATED. I have seen so many players (online and in Campaign) use this the second they hear horde or get boomer when it is easier to wait until 20-30 horde populated and toss against a wall, this gives you more time to run and you will most definitely kill more horde.\nAnother good tactic is to throw the pipe towards a tank or any infected to cause some extra damage, this is not a 100% usable tactic as it is a waste to use a pipe for small damage but I have seen it kill a tank and other infected.\n\n* **Boomer Bile** - These are my favorite because they are so versatile. You can blind ANY infected for a short amount of time and the horde that result from said bile will attack the infected, this is good because you can focus on other infected or just running away in general.\nI have noticed that you can clear a good distance when throwing a boomer bile then running ahead across the map, this is good for when your with a good team and want to rush (this works very well in survival/scavenge when there is nowhere to run and you need a minute to reload/heal/)\n\nNote: if you are boomed DO NOT WASTE YOUR BILE because it will not attract horde, you will get attacked first. (see above Molotov tactic)\n\n**Healing/Support Items**\n\n* **Shot** - I save these for certain situations such as putting gas in generator, Healing, Picking up a downed teammate, Reloading, fighting off horde. What most people don't realize is the length of the time while on a shot. I like to throw up a shot when my teammate is down, pick him up, heal him, and fight off horde to safety, this saves time (takes like 5 seconds for all that to happen) and your ability to keep your shot up :)\n\n* **Pills** - I only use pills when running slow, if i get in-capped... so what. get up then pop pills. you can also give them to your slower teammates as well. it takes a quick second to pop the pills so if a horde is coming at you... pop them fast cause you wont have a chance to pop them otherwise.\n\n* **Health-kits** - Only use when black and white. this is your lifeline. ALWAYS try to have a HK on hand no matter what. I like to have my HK as a last resort as apposed to having pills on hand.\n\n* **Defib** - HEALTH-KIT > DEFIB takes more time to defib a downed teammate (this means 2 people are inactive) than to heal.\nI keep these on hand in case I die, that way someone can use the defib i dropped to revive me to 50%.\nIf you have no Health-kit but you do have a defib on hand you can always kill your teammate and revive him to 50% health :)",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "* As a tank, crouch before you hit a car/dumpster/etc. The object will go sailing in the direction you hit it but should fly smoothly along the ground instead of being bouncing haphazardly. This works in L4D1 but I'm not positive for L4D2.\n\n* Tanks should try to last as long as possible. It may seem cheap, but hiding out somewhere where the survivors can't/don't want to venture and throwing rocks gives your teammates infinite spawns to wear them down. Rush in if they get distracted/you have an opening of some kind to finish them off.\n\n* I find that Chargers are good when they spawn close to survivors. Too many people spawn far away so that the survivors have plenty of time to take them down by the time they get close/move out of the way easily. The only time it seems to be better is when you're in a narrow corridor with little room for strafing.\n\n* Waiting at the top of a tall ladder as Charger is great for separating the group, getting fall damage, and just generally wreaking havoc on the group.\n\n* It's been said before, but you can curve your pounces as a hunter. hold the A or D key (or whatever you use to move left and right) as well as move the mouse radically to the left or right and you can curve your pounce as much as 45 degrees. For faraway pounces, always aim high, at least as high as your horizon line. Pressing S (or back) in midair will also cause you fall straight down, so aiming high, jumping, and then immediately looking down, you can pinpoint your victim's location and hit S to drop down on them.\n\n* A really effective place for damage pounces is when survivors are climbing ladders in the open. When you see them all getting onto the ladder, they are completely vulnerable and stuck in a single spot for that time being.\n\n* If a Spitter spits on a generator during Scavenge, sometimes you can stand ON the generator and fill it up. Doesn't always work, but can help if you're really pressed for time.\n\n* On Expert (or really if you're struggling during any of the campaigns) and you are all very low on health by the time you get the the safe room, have the person with the highest health kill off everyone else before closing the door. They will spawn for the beginning of the next level with 50% health. Make sure they are in the safe room so that they can pick up any guns/items they were carrying.\n\nThis works OK for spawn closets, but you are not nearly as safe. Better to kill off only one or two of the weakest players and wait for them to spawn, since the chances of getting attacked are higher.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "You can skip the plane horde entirely by [jumping along the edge of the ripped open fuselage](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydbRMdnQE_0). ",
"score": 3
}
] |
Why does chocolate taste so damn good?? | Seriously, what is it in chocolate that makes humans love it so much? I'm eating a brownie and wondering... Because it's really effing good and Google is not helping me find an answer. | 11 | [
{
"body": "Something in chocolate makes your brain release endorphins. It's basically crystal meth for fatties.",
"score": 10
}
] |
Sleek desktop themes; a chance to show your custom Ubuntu off | I'll begin. I'm running an asus eee 1000ha with Karmic. I began with the Netbook Remix and eventually decided it was to limiting compared with stock Ubuntu. After a few hours of config and updates, [here](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gls1DvT1Ap4/S0b2VnrpJ7I/AAAAAAAABNE/HTnx8YXdY3E/s1600-h/Screenshot.png) is my final product. | 39 | [
{
"body": "http://pici.se/524866 Here is mine. I use gnome-globalmenu which gives me all apps menubar top left, like in OS X. Also, when applications is maximized the window decoration is disabled. This gives me a lot of extra space, my 1366x768 screen feels very big. Theme is called Elementary, same for icons.",
"score": 16
},
{
"body": "Very nice BG!\n\nI try to go for the cleanest look I can. Some system information on the right as usual and a great wallpaper imo. [Mine](http://imgur.com/dQpzt.jpg).\n \nEDIT: Cairo-Dock + [Conky Colors](http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/CONKY-colors?content=92328) + [this Wall](http://imgur.com/WzmtQ) + custom icons.\n\n[My conkyrc](http://pastebin.com/m3842dbbd) is different than what the current conky_colors uses. I had fixed some bugs the author of it had, as well as customized it a bit more to my liking. It doesn't work with the newer versions of it anymore.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "I went to the pub and when I got back I couldn't sleep so I started dicking around with Ubuntu and then forgot about it. Next day my desktop was all minimalist and had a new wallpaper. I quite like it now.\n\n[Here is the result.](http://deedtheinky.com/temp/desktopfry.jpg)",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "[Here's mine](http://imgur.com/gOVGK.jpg). Comipz, Guake, Docky, Drapes play a big part in making my OS a lovely place to be.",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Nothing special, really. No configs, just a clean desktop. I mostly use Gnome Do for opening every thing.\n\n[Pic 1](http://imgur.com/xiYdv.jpg)\n[Pic 2](http://imgur.com/JY0fK.jpg)",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "[Mine](http://imgur.com/39f1i.png), the reddit bit on conky checks for new orangered envelopes every fifteen minutes.\n\nThe planet does extend further to the right on another monitor.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "[Single-panel Gnome with Docky, Mashup icon theme, and Dust window theme.](http://pici.se/525277/). I also recommend the Liberation fonts.\n\nI know I should probably have Docky at the bottom and my panel at the top, but I'm too accustomed from years of Windows use to move the panel anywhere else. I've tried, and it doesn't last. Putting Docky at the top interferes with managing Chrome tabs.\n\nAs you can probably also tell, I like transparency effects :p",
"score": 3
}
] |
So I was having a debate with a Christian -I mean with a brick wall- and he's telling me how atheism is the "religion" of Hitler and then he quotes from a book... then I go "excuse me?" | So this Christian is the typical ignorant creationist that thinks evolution means pigs have ducks for babies. Anyway, point in matter: he's saying that Hitler was an atheist, that Einstein was a Christian –which he then changes to "believer" after I correct him on that– and how atheism is the destruction of our civilization... bla bla blah.
Then, I'm there trying to speak some sense into his void head and he's basically oblivious to any reasoning (seriously some people are born stupid? or does religion simply make them that way? I think I could make a case against religion in a court of law if I found evidence for the latter). So he then quotes from a book by some "Larry Azar" which I've managed to rescue from google (and it's the exact same quote he read to me): "I regard Christianity as the most fatal, seductive lie ever existed"....Adolf Hitler,quoted in Larry Azar, twentieth century in crisis,1990. p.180
It seems he's written some creationist propaganda (or well, anti-evolution propaganda), here's the kind of "literature" that this guy writes:
http://www.amazon.com/EVOLUTION-OTHER-FAIRY-TALES-Larry/dp/1420807897
I didn't know he even existed. And searching google for the quote, I came on this youtube video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYejdVutmVk
Oh they just made my day a sadder day. | 6 | [
{
"body": "An attitude like yours often causes problems with \"those people\". People aren't necessarily into religion because they're idiots. Often it is because the meaning of their life and philosophies are tied up in the religion. Trying to change his mind with clever quotes isn't the way. You have to let him question on his own.",
"score": 7
}
] |
An Omegler's argument against evolution...ಠ_ಠ | Stranger: so you believe that we all evolved from nothing
Stranger: which became something
You: um not nothing
Stranger: that turned somehow into a money and then finally humans
You: no
Stranger: monkey***
You: thats not how it works
You: great apes and humans have a common ancestor
You: from which we diverged
You: it is more like we are cousins
You: than father son
Stranger: so since a watermelon is made of up 90% water, and a cloud is made up of 100% water then does that mean they are cousins?
You: ಠ_ಠ | 11 | [
{
"body": "Actually, everything in the universe is made up of the same materials, so yes, watermelon and clouds could be considered cousins.",
"score": 4
}
] |
Reddit! What old games have you been playing lately? We're talking pre-2000 games here... | Lately, I've been playing Vagrant Story, Crash Bandicoot 1 and Driver. and boy, have I had a good time!
This is the most fun I've had with games in a while (beside uncharted 2, that is). It started for nostalgia, but it isn't about good old memories anymore; I'm genuinely enjoying these games.
Of course the graphics are outdated, but the gameplay, pacing & story are done so properly that the games haven't aged at all.
It doesn't hurt that they're dirt cheap either (PSN usually sells PSone games at one tenth of a new game's price. GOG pricing seems good too, though I haven't used it.)
Now let's share; what are your favorite old games that, still today, can be played regularly? | 61 | [
{
"body": "I've been playing Transport Tycoon Deluxe(the [OpenTTD](http://www.openttd.org/en/) version) pretty intensively this vacation. I find I have a much better grasp of it now than when I played it as a kid, thus enjoying it even more :)\n\nI think I have a vigorous episode of Final Fantasy VII-fever every year. It's one of the few games I never seem to get tired of.\n\nThanks for reminding me of Vagrant Story, it's laying around here somewhere. Great game, never got around to finish it though. Think I'll fire it up now.",
"score": 53
},
{
"body": "I've been playing a lot of Starcraft recently. I don't know why I have such a love for this game as I'm probably the worst RTS player of all time but there's something just brilliant about it.",
"score": 47
},
{
"body": "Homeworld. If you have not played this game, please do. It's absolutely fantastic. The storyline and music track are perfect.",
"score": 22
},
{
"body": "Stunts (4D Sports Driving) \nI play this game in turns with a friend every 1-2 month for at least 12 years now and we still beat some of our decade old records. Thanks to the track-editor this game never gets old.\n\nGTA 1 \nPlay it with another friend every now and then. Usually we cheat all weapons and ammo, define an area the player is not allowed to leave, like an intersection, and go on carnage killing as many as possible for competition.\n\nUnreal Tournament 99 \nI play this game in a clan since it came out. Normal Weapons mode for many years, now only instagib mode (one shot one kill). Due to the endless possiblility of trick-jumps the coolness never wears of.\n\nI also played that new version of Monkey Island recently if that counts.",
"score": 19
},
{
"body": "Been playing Planescape: Torment lately. It's more like reading a good book. Well written, interesting characters and fascinating world. Too bad the combat system isn't as good. Still enjoying it though.",
"score": 18
},
{
"body": "Metal Gear Solid. Took me a while to get back into the swing of it, but it was worth it once I was sniping rats off the rail again. ",
"score": 15
},
{
"body": "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri\n\nFrontier: First Encounters\n\nBoth excellent and desperately needing sequels.",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "Jazz Jackrabbit 2\n\nIt's actually abandonware now. The great thing is that people are actually still playing it online.",
"score": 10
},
{
"body": "This is my dresser in my dorm room: http://i.imgur.com/MQXCA.jpg\n\nNormally not that impressive, but given that I was born in 1991, and my first system was an N64 (followed by a gamecube, then ps2, then wii), I think I'm doing pretty well.\n\nEDIT: Guess I should enumerate what it is that I've been playing.\n\nNES\n\n* Legend of Zelda\n* Zelda 2\n* Metroid\n* Battletoads\n* Solstice\n* Gradius\n* Punchout (TKO'd Mike Tyson, fuck yeah!)\n* Megaman 2\n* Contra\n* Excitebike\n\nSNES\n\n* Earthbound\n* Tetris Attack\n* Doom\n* Super Punchout\n* LttP\n\nGenesis\n\n* Sonic 1, 2, and 3\n* Road Rash 2\n\nI'll leave N64 off as I'm unsure of all of the release dates. And yes, this is all within the last 2-3 months. I really should study more....\n\nEDIT EDIT: good->well. I should know better damnit.",
"score": 9
},
{
"body": "Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Complete\n\nFantastic game. I still consider it the best of the series.\n\nHaving the 9 unique factions with the expansions in there is just fantastic. Also an awesome MP3 score that I have to admit I have on my IPOD :P",
"score": 8
},
{
"body": "Generally, I will zone on Galaga now and then\n\nOn the more recent front, I will always obsess over Tower Defense",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "F-Zero X. And other N64 games. I only just remembered that I had an emulator on my laptop the other day. Needless to say, productivity has been destroyed",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "I've beaten Duck Tales on a real NES (fuck emulation) and now I'm going to play [Battle Of Olympus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Olympus).",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Oddworld: Abe's Odyssey downloaded from PSN. Lot of fun. If it ever gets boring, just make him fart.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "When i was in hospital in November i played through Monkey Island 1, Day of the Tentacle and Fate of Atlantis on my GF's DS. Thx to Scummvm.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "I've been slogging my way through Final Fantasy VII from PSN, and working my way through Phantasy Star 3 (thanks to the Genesis Greatest Hits disc that was released last year).\n\nI'm a sucker for RPGs, I guess.",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "What?! Pre-2000 is Old?! *Shakes Fist; Stubbornly refuses to accept reality...\n\nYou mean Counter Strike is old?! ",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Pretty much anything from Sierra brings back great memories: Police Quest, Heroe's Quest, Space Quest, Willy Beamish etc. \nNHL Hockey 95\nSome NES, SNES games emulated",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "legend of zelda: a link to the past on my snes :D\n\nwas inspired to play it after watching loads of the zelda marathon on extra lives",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Super Mario Bros. 3, once or twice a week, since it came out.\n\nAlso these (I play them through once a year or so, each):\n\n1. Dragon Warrior IV\n2. Final Fantasy 6 (or FF3 in the USA)\n3. River City Randsom\n4. Syndicate\n5. One Must Fall 2097\n6. Earthbound (Mother 2) ",
"score": 5
},
{
"body": "Has anyone played [Cyberia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberia_%28video_game%29) for PC (DOS game)?",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Tribes 1. I play at least once a week. It takes a little work to get it running on Vista. I'm sure I'll have it running on Windows 7 in the near future.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "Final Fantasy VII for the PC\n\nIt took 3 separate patches to get it to work in Windows 7, but it works.",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "I play through Super Mario World at least once every couple of months, and this month happens to be one that I'm playing it. Also, Mario 64, NFL Blitz for the N64, Unreal Tournament, Castlevania IV.",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Dungeon Keeper 2. I was really excited to play it again, but I got to level 6 or so and it keeps crashing after about 5 minutes. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Drakan:Order of the Flame, Castlevania:Symphony of the Night (fantastic), Might and Magic:Dark Messiah. ",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "I recently dusted off my Dreamcast and played some Crazy Taxi (released Jan 24, 2000). Still a lot of fun.\nI also played ShadowMan and was surprised at how bad the game characters look compared to more recent games. \n",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "Got the Oddworld Pack in the Steam Sale, so Abe's Exxodus has been getting a lashing. I had forgotten how frustrating, and addictive, it is.",
"score": 3
}
] |
[9] So many delicious foods and buds | Had bowl then ate nachos with beef and sour cream. Later had a bowl, then steak and two lobster tails with butter. Then I worked and when I got off smoked 4 snappers and went to Mcdonalds and had chicken nuggets, mcchicken, and mcdouble. Then smoked two more bowls with a buddy and now I'm eating chex with chocolate milk. Happy blazing treeple. | 12 | [
{
"body": "[2]\n\nHome made, slow cooked pot roast. Fuck yeah.\n\n4 Potatoes, Chopped\n\n1 Onion, Chopped\n\n5 Carrots, Chopped\n\n1 14oz Can of Mushrooms\n\n2 Packets of Lipton Onion Soup Mix\n\n1 3lb-4lb Pot Roast\n\n3 tablespoons flour\n\n1.25 cups water\n\nBrown roast in a pan. Mix flour, soup mix, and water. Pour over roast in slow cooker. Add vegetables. \n\nTurn on High for 5 hours.\n\nServe with like, egg noodles and brocolli or some shit.\n\nFUCK YEAH",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "A pineapple to you! Try getting ahold of some Mexican food bext time you blaze, especially carne asada burritos....mmmmm =0)",
"score": 3
}
] |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.